Synonyms of retained

retained 1 of 2

adjective

as in possessed

Related Words

• possessed
• owned
• protected
• loved
• valued
• cherished
• treasured
• prized

Dissimilar Words

• gone
• lost
• misplaced
• missing
• absent
• mislaid
• irretrievable
• irrecoverable
• castaway

retained

2 of 2

verb

past tense of retain

1

as in kept

to continue to have in one's possession or power

I plan to retain the family heirlooms until my own children are mature enough to appreciate them, and then I will lovingly pass them on

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kept
• held
• preserved
• possessed
• withheld
• saved
• reserved
• had
• protected
• conserved
• owned
• enjoyed
• guarded
• held on to
• boasted
• managed
• hung on to
• controlled
• ruled
• detained
• directed
• bore
• cherished
• clung (to)
• commanded
• hugged
• harbored
• treasured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• released
• yielded
• surrendered
• abandoned
• dropped
• gave
• contributed
• relinquished
• ceded
• gave up
• donated
• discarded
• lost
• handed over
• rejected
• dumped
• declined
• repudiated
• handed out
• spurned

2

as in owned

to keep, control, or experience as one's own

that author retains the right to veto any changes in his books suggested by his publisher's notoriously intrusive editor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• owned
• had
• possessed
• enjoyed
• held
• commanded
• kept
• withheld
• reserved
• rejoiced in
• carried
• boasted
• bore
• sported
• showed off

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lacked
• wanted
• abandoned
• relinquished
• yielded
• surrendered
• ceded
• renounced
• discarded
• dumped
• handed over
• required
• rejected
• needed
• declined
• disclaimed
• repudiated
• disowned
• spurned

3

as in employed

to provide with a paying job

her neighbor retained her as a nanny for the summer, thus giving her something to do until school started again

Synonyms & Similar Words

• employed
• hired
• recruited
• engaged
• placed
• paid
• signed (up or on)
• assumed
• enlisted
• laid on
• feed
• took on
• rehired
• reemployed
• contracted
• promoted
• partnered
• subcontracted
• reengaged
• upgraded
• jobbed
• apprenticed
• kept (on)
• scouted
• advanced
• headhunted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dismissed
• discharged
• fired
• canned
• sacked
• laid off
• axed
• locked out
• furloughed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of retained

Adjective

No Kansas justice has ever been non-retained. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2026

Verb

Tallman — who has retained an attorney and is researching his litigation options against Sanders and Drastic Measures — is still in the industry as well. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026

Over the last four cycles, the Olympic roster has retained about 70 percent of the previous World Cup roster, but that doesn’t take into account some last-minute changes and unexpected injuries so the true retention rate is even a bit higher. — Chantel Jennings, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Barisone seems to have spoken a little differently in his meetings with Steven Simring, a forensic psychiatrist retained by his defense. — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Why Oven Temperature Matters for Oven-Baked Salmon Oven temperature directly affects how the proteins in salmon set, and how moisture is retained during cooking. — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2026

Stolen and enslaved Indigenous people formed new networks of kinship; learned new skills and languages; retained memories of family, kin, and rituals; and, through it all, continually plotted to return home. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

The sons of Julio Pineda, another cleaning-crew member who died, retained legal counsel, who filed a wrongful-death lawsuit Friday. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026

Fazio is trying to draw voters’ attention to back the inappropriate p-card spending by the former chancellor of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, who was removed but retained a well-paying faculty job. — Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026

After 30,000 accelerated stress-test cycles, the new system retained 63 percent of its initial peak power, whereas conventional systems retained only 30 percent under identical conditions. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026