Meaning & use
reticence
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Meaning
noununcountableformal
A habit of not saying much about your thoughts, feelings or personal matters, or a reluctance to speak openly about a particular topic.
Grammar: Usually without 'a'; often followed by 'about': reticence about his past.
Patterns
- reticence about something
- reticence on the subject of something
Her reticence about her family made her coworkers curious.
Despite his usual reticence, he spoke warmly at the dinner.
The witness's reticence frustrated the lawyers.
Common combinations
- natural reticence
- His natural reticence made him seem distant.
- reticence about
- I understand your reticence about discussing money.
- overcome reticence
- It took her months to overcome her reticence in meetings.
- characteristic reticence
- With characteristic reticence, he refused to talk about his award.
- show reticence
- The politician showed reticence when asked about the scandal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reserve
- Reserve describes a cool, self-controlled manner, while reticence focuses specifically on not speaking out.
- reluctance
- Reluctance is unwillingness to do anything, whereas reticence is unwillingness to speak or share.
- taciturnity
- Taciturnity is a stronger, more formal word for saying almost nothing at all.
- secretiveness
- Secretiveness suggests deliberately hiding things, which reticence does not always imply.
Opposites
Word family
- reticent adjective
- unwilling to speak openly
- reticently adverb
- in a reserved, quiet way
Commonly confused: reticence or reluctance?
reticence vs reluctance
Reluctance is unwillingness to do something in general, while reticence is about holding back words or feelings; some writers wrongly use reticence to mean reluctance.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'reticence' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Reticence means reluctance to speak openly, as in avoiding talk of one's past. The first option uses it to mean general reluctance, which is the common misuse.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reticence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.