reticence
part of speech
noun (reticence; uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) The habit of not saying much, or of keeping your feelings and thoughts to yourself. tree →
2) (sometimes, informal) Unwillingness to do something; reluctance. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories it describes quiet, private characters: «Despite his reticence, he was kind». In formal writing: «reticence about discussing money». In everyday life: some people are naturally reticent and need time to share. Phrases: «reticence about», «his usual reticence», «overcome her reticence».
examples
- Despite her reticence, Mia told the teacher what had happened. tree →
- His reticence made some people think he was unfriendly. tree →
- Grandad's reticence about the war meant he rarely talked about it. tree →
- She overcame her reticence and sang in front of the class. tree →
- The detective noticed the witness's reticence. tree →
- Reticence is not the same as rudeness; some people are just quiet. tree →
note
Uncountable. Adjective: «reticent» (quiet, reserved). Stress: RET-i-sense. Traditionally it means «not speaking much»; using it to mean simply «reluctant» is common but some teachers mark it as a mistake.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «reticence» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.