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
Merz insists Germany must rebuild military capacity – a departure from decades of both German domestic and EU-wide reticence toward such a move.
—
Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2026
But after months of relative reticence to take big swings or commit to a tank job, the Bulls made a sharp heel turn this week by offloading all but one of their expiring contracts.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
That reticence may well have helped to diminish his reputation; indeed, his contribution has been largely eclipsed by that of his eldest son, the abstract painter and sculptor Ben Nicholson.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Jan. 2026
Still, the focus on Venezuela could help distract from Putin’s reticence to strike a deal with Ukraine.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reticence
Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2026
But after months of relative reticence to take big swings or commit to a tank job, the Bulls made a sharp heel turn this week by offloading all but one of their expiring contracts.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
That reticence may well have helped to diminish his reputation; indeed, his contribution has been largely eclipsed by that of his eldest son, the abstract painter and sculptor Ben Nicholson.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Jan. 2026
Still, the focus on Venezuela could help distract from Putin’s reticence to strike a deal with Ukraine.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reticence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reticence
reluctance
Noun
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Such reluctance may intensify if the war drags on and weighs on consumer confidence and spending.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Honeycutt's reluctance to put a hard number on the Artemis 2 risk therefore makes a lot of sense.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reticence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reticence. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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