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
The Quibi debacle has not completely thawed that reticence.
—
Frank Racioppi,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
There's a lot of reticence to step up again right now.
—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
The Berlin Film Festival has demonstrated reticence about addressing geopolitical matters, but Cannes leader Thierry Frémaux is showing no such hesitation, at least as regards the war in Ukraine.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
23 May 2026
And yet, when Obama won the Presidency, Bush greeted him with graceful comments of welcome, and then embarked on a retirement characterized by reticence.
—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for reticence
Frank Racioppi,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
There's a lot of reticence to step up again right now.
—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
The Berlin Film Festival has demonstrated reticence about addressing geopolitical matters, but Cannes leader Thierry Frémaux is showing no such hesitation, at least as regards the war in Ukraine.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
23 May 2026
And yet, when Obama won the Presidency, Bush greeted him with graceful comments of welcome, and then embarked on a retirement characterized by reticence.
—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for reticence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reticence
reluctance
Noun
-
Experts say that's probably an undercount, given immigrants’ reluctance to come forward.
-
Experts say that’s probably an undercount, given immigrants’ reluctance to come forward.
Cite this Entry
“Reticence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reticence. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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