Definition of reticence
2
: an instance of being reticent
3
: reluctance 1
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Examples of reticence in a Sentence
the publisher's reticence to make content available online for free
Recent Examples of reticence from the Web
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At times Marston's reticence can feel like an implicit acknowledgment of his position as a cultural outsider.
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Jim DeCesare of Bowling Green, Brian Linder of Dry Ridge and Michael Meredith of Oakland has been a factor in the legislature's reticence to pass a harassment law this year.
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Both instances represent a long minute of stillness in a country not known for its reticence, when the entire nation of Israel stops to remember the 23,632 soldiers and security forces who have given their lives to defend the State of Israel.
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And after playing a few dozen hours of the game, the reason for their reticence is clear: Far Cry 5 doesn’t have anything to say about race in America.
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Sadly, the reticence of restaurateurs to encourage reasonable behavior in patrons (notably, no screaming into cellphones for 10 straight minutes) is growing common.
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As Trump attempts to beat back allegations of collusion with Russia dating back to the 2016 election, his silence is damning, but more worrisome is the effect his reticence has on policy.
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His reticence may also mean that when and if McConnell does speak out on some issue at some time, his words could carry more weight than if he was routinely publicized his concerns.
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There are times when Vega, who makes a promising acting debut here, seems ill at ease with Marina’s self-policing reticence.
These 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.
First Known Use of reticence
1603
reticence Synonyms
Synonyms
disinclination, hesitance, hesitancy, reluctance, unwillingness;
Antonyms
Near Antonyms
assurance, assuredness, certainty, certitude, conviction, positiveness, sureness, surety;
Related Words
faltering, fence-sitting, hesitation, indecision, irresolution, shilly-shallying, staggering, vacillation, wavering, wobbling (also wabbling);
distrust, distrustfulness, doubt, incertitude, misdoubt, misgiving, mistrust, mistrustfulness, skepticism, suspicion, uncertainness, uncertainty;
Learn More about reticence
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reticence Spanish Central: Translation of reticence Nglish: Translation of reticence for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of reticence for Arabic speakers
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