reticence
noun
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Definition of reticence
2 : an instance of being reticent
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Synonyms & Antonyms for reticence
Synonyms
disinclination, hesitance, hesitancy, reluctance, unwillingness
Antonyms
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Examples of reticence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Obama’s reticence is more than simply a matter of communications strategy. — Gabriel Debenedetti, Daily Intelligencer, "Where Is Barack Obama?," 24 June 2018 Levin is joking, but the reticence about her physical description is real. — David Ferry, San Francisco Chronicle, "Food critic Rachel Levin contemplates close encounters of the animal kind," 7 June 2018 That reticence is unlikely to surprise anyone who's followed Clapton's career in recent years. — Mikael Wood, latimes.com, "Eric Clapton is a man hidden from view in Showtime's dull 'Life in 12 Bars'," 10 Feb. 2018 That musicology lesson is the loudest part of this album, certainly louder than Mr. Timberlake, whose reticence is a recurring feature here. — Jon Caramanica, New York Times, "Justin Timberlake Looks Beyond the Pop Star Life on ‘Man of the Woods’," 31 Jan. 2018 His 1925 double-choir motet is suffused with the lush reticence of the Anglican choral tradition. — BostonGlobe.com, "Cantata Singers perform a heavenly masterpiece," 3 May 2018 Another factor in the overall increase in venture capital is a reticence by startups to go public. — Natasha Mascarenhas, SFChronicle.com, "The new Silicon Valley has cable cars and an orange bridge," 12 July 2018 Houston’s mother, the singer Cissy Houston, her ex-husband, Bobby Brown, and the music executive L. A. Reid seem self-protective in their reticence and deflection. — Wesley Morris, New York Times, "Review: ‘Whitney,’ a Pop Music Tragedy, Is Sad, Strange and Dismaying," 5 July 2018 This reticence was intended to protect my reputation, not that of the former spouse. — Joseph O’neill, The New Yorker, "The First World," 21 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reticence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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