Meaning & use

reserved

adjective·Academic

Slow to reveal thoughts or feelings to others; quiet and not very sociable.

See it in a sentence

He seemed reserved at the party, speaking only when someone asked him a question.

Her reserved manner made her hard to read during the interview.

A note on using this word

Reserved describes someone who holds back socially, the natural opposite of outgoing; it does not necessarily mean unfriendly, just less openly expressive.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

outgoingsociable

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