1
Reluctant to speak
Avoid expressing opinions or information.
Example
Witnesses were reticent about the private meeting.
reticent
/ˈrɛtɪsənt/ · RET-ih-suhntadjective
Reserved or reluctant to speak, reveal thoughts, or participate.
Use reticent when the context supports this precise meaning: reserved or reluctant to speak, reveal thoughts, or participate.
What reticent Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Reserved manner
Communicate sparingly in social settings.
Example
Usually reticent, the curator answered in brief phrases.
3
Hesitant to act
Show reluctance to take a proposed step.
Example
Investors remained reticent to fund the untested process.
Use reticent Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Witnesses were reticent about the private meeting.
Usually reticent, the curator answered in brief phrases.
Investors remained reticent to fund the untested process.
Precision Matters
Reticent overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
reticent
vs.Means reserved or reluctant to speak, reveal thoughts, or participate.
candid
Means honest, direct, and unguarded in expression.
reticent
vs.Means reserved or reluctant to speak, reveal thoughts, or participate.
laconic
Means using very few words.
reticent
vs.Means reserved or reluctant to speak, reveal thoughts, or participate.
recalcitrant
Means stubbornly resistant to authority, control, or correction.
reticent
vs.Means reserved or reluctant to speak, reveal thoughts, or participate.
vociferous
Means loud, forceful, and insistent in expressing an opinion.
Test reticent in Context
She is reluctant to disclose what she knows.
1
Although she knew the details, the witness remained ___ and answered only the questions she was required to address.