as in reluctance
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something
the publisher's reticence to make content available online for free
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Recent Examples of reticence
Europe’s reticence stands in contrast to the approaches of Canada and China, which have both enforced retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump’s protectionist trade policies in recent months.
—
Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
His dad’s customary reticence meant Specktor had work to do.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
His son visits Baghdad and Fallujah during summer vacations, puzzled by his family’s political reticence and by how his once prosperous cousins are impoverished by the sanctions regime of the 1990s.
—Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Political uncertainty historically leads to consumer reticence—a reluctance to buy and an impulse to hoard savings.
—Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reticence
Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
His dad’s customary reticence meant Specktor had work to do.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
His son visits Baghdad and Fallujah during summer vacations, puzzled by his family’s political reticence and by how his once prosperous cousins are impoverished by the sanctions regime of the 1990s.
—Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Political uncertainty historically leads to consumer reticence—a reluctance to buy and an impulse to hoard savings.
—Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reticence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reticence
Noun
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So the reluctance to impose themselves and instead tread cautiously meant Palace were content to bide their time at Wembley.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
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The recent reluctance from the twins follows Carey’s surprise drop-in during Moroccan’s Twitch live stream on Thursday, April 3.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reticence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reticence. Accessed 8 May. 2025.
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