Reticent

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛtɪsənt/

Definitions

1. Hesitant to speak freely or share one's thoughts and feelings with others
2. Reluctant to engage in verbal communication or reveal one's inner thoughts, often exhibiting a reserved personality and a tendency to remain silent about personal matters
3. Unwilling to communicate openly or express personal opinions or feelings in conversation

Etymology: Reticent comes from the Latin "reticēns," the present participle of "reticēre," meaning "to keep silent." The verb itself is built from "re-" (back, again) and "tacēre" (to be silent), so the word's deepest meaning is something like holding one's silence back rather than letting it go. Latin speakers used this root for people who simply declined to say much, and that core sense of withholding speech is what English kept. The English adjective carries that Latin sense almost unchanged. It describes someone who is not willing to speak, especially about their own feelings or private matters, rather than someone who cannot speak. The shade is one of deliberate restraint: a reticent person could talk perfectly well but chooses not to.

Synonyms: reserved, silent, taciturn, uncommunicative, quiet

Antonyms: talkative, outspoken, loquacious, garrulous, expressive