as in careful
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Recent Examples of retentive
The velocity of decisions and the inverse of that, though, is when these decisions are made, there are incredibly sticky and retentive businesses.
—
Aaron Weitzman, Axios, 9 Sep. 2024
Industrial facilities are designed using environmentally conscientious materials including white roof decks, LED lighting and water-retentive landscaping techniques.
—David Welch, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022
As well as attracting a significant number of new Discovery+ subscribers, sports broadens its appeal throughout the whole household and provides consumers an even greater, more retentive value proposition.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2022
They're known for great listening—and they are retentive with a good memory.
—Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 Oct. 2021
Jane was an anal retentive young mom whose professional dream was to become a bestselling novelist.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2021
Her ministers fear her ferociously retentive memory for the details of their portfolios—including the particulars of complex technical and scientific issues, such as trade, digital technology, and, lately, the pandemic.
—Constanze Stelzenmüller, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
Aaron Weitzman, Axios, 9 Sep. 2024
Industrial facilities are designed using environmentally conscientious materials including white roof decks, LED lighting and water-retentive landscaping techniques.
—David Welch, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022
As well as attracting a significant number of new Discovery+ subscribers, sports broadens its appeal throughout the whole household and provides consumers an even greater, more retentive value proposition.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2022
They're known for great listening—and they are retentive with a good memory.
—Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 Oct. 2021
Jane was an anal retentive young mom whose professional dream was to become a bestselling novelist.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2021
Her ministers fear her ferociously retentive memory for the details of their portfolios—including the particulars of complex technical and scientific issues, such as trade, digital technology, and, lately, the pandemic.
—Constanze Stelzenmüller, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retentive
Adjective
-
This requires careful monitoring of key parameters such as sugar and acidity from veraison through to harvest.—
Maureen Mackey , Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Somewhere within him is the spirit of the patriotic teenager and the careful lower-court judge who rejected any notion of party loyalty or judicial agenda.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Sam has encouraged the boy to be more conscientious with his studies and has been learning alongside him for years, picking up his schoolbooks and offering ideas on how to make the assignments more meaningful.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The pilot program was characterized by SeaWorld San Diego Park President Tyler Carter as a conscientious move toward potentially phasing out fireworks.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But that cautious optimism among exiles is tempered by concern they could be cut out.—
Joshua Goodman,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The key takeaway is that consumers are cautious, and the execution of early applications of AI in fashion is what’s holding them back right now.—
Amy O’Brien,
Vogue,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Many other Wall Streeters were more circumspect.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But the research also suggests that social media use is becoming more passive and circumspect — around half of adult social media users (49 percent) now actively post, share, or comment — down from 61 percent in 2024.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
To avoid alienating this fan base, teams that used dynamic pricing were wary of raising prices too high or of cutting them below the levels that season-ticket holders had already paid.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Then, Dwight said, lenders got wary of financing a project that large.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
To be reasonable, in Rawls’s sense, is to accept that one’s deepest convictions may fail to command assent from others who are no less sincere or thoughtful, and then to propose terms of political coöperation that others can appreciate.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
This transit favors awareness and thoughtful pacing.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In ancient times a heedful list is a ship of the mind.—
Jay Pilgreen,
Kansas City Star,
12 Feb. 2024
-
Enduring decades of bans for its salacious content, D.H. Lawrence's 1928 avant-garde novel gets a fresh adaptation under the heedful eye of Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who deftly explores the depths of female desire.—
Lia Beck,
EW.com,
12 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Retentive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retentive. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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