What does reticent mean?
Word: Reticent
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Reticent means keeping your thoughts and feelings to yourself and saying little about them.
How do you spell reticent?
Syllables: ret - i - cent
Tricky part: The s sound near the end is spelt with a c, not an s.
Watch out for: retisent, retissent
Memory tip: A reticent person keeps things Confidential: let that capital C remind you of the letter.
Reticent in a sentence
Example 1: Dev is reticent about his marks, even with his best friends.
Example 2: The famous painter was reticent in interviews and let her pictures speak.
Example 3: Grandfather grows reticent whenever we ask about his younger days.
Fun Fact
Many people use reticent to mean reluctant, but careful writers keep the two apart: a reticent person holds back words, while a reluctant one holds back from doing something.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
r_t_c_nt
a) e, i, e
b) e, i, a
c) i, i, e
d) e, e, e
Show answer
a) e, i, e. Each syllable has one short vowel: ret, then i, then cent.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Though she had won the state debate, my reticennt cousin only smiled and looked down at her shoes when the neighbours asked.
a) neighbours
b) reticennt
c) cousin
d) debate
Show answer
b) reticennt. The n before the closing t stands alone.
Mingle-Mangle
The jumbled word in the sentence hides a real word. Choose it:
My ietrtenc brother rarely talks about the chess prizes on his shelf.
a) resilient
b) reticent
c) decent
d) recent
Show answer
b) reticent. Two t's and two e's fit one option only: resilient has an l, recent one t and decent a d.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word reticent as used in the sentence:
Arun is reticent about his songwriting, though his friends love his songs.
a) talkative
b) quiet
c) shy
d) reserved
Show answer
a) talkative. A talkative person chats freely, the opposite of someone who keeps things in.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A scientist who does not like to discuss herself wins a prize. What would she most likely do?
a) give a brief reply and change the subject
b) give a long talk on her own success
c) post about it every day for a week
d) show the medal to each new visitor
Show answer
a) give a brief reply and change the subject
2. Which sentence best shows a child being reticent about a school trip?
a) Ali talked about the trip all through dinner.
b) Ali phoned three friends to describe the trip.
c) Ali just said it was fine and went back to his book.
d) Ali drew a map of the trip for his sister.
Show answer
c) Ali just said it was fine and went back to his book.
