Question

reticent adjective Reticent in the sense of "inclined to be silent or uncommunicative" first appeared in English in the early 19th century. About 50 years later, reticent took on the additional sense of "reluctant" which, while it is now well established, bothers some people, particularly because it has veered away from the word's Latin origins—reticent is from the verb reticēre, meaning "to keep silent." But there is some sense in the way the newer meaning developed. We first tended to use the "reluctant" sense of reticent when the context was speech (as in "reticent to talk about her past"), thus keeping the word close to its "silent" sense. Eventually, however, exclusive association with speech was abandoned. Now one can be reticent to do anything. 1 : inclined to be silent or uncommunicative in speech : reserved2 : restrained in expression, presentation, or appearance3 : reluctant

Accepted Answer

July 27, 2018 RET-uh-sunt Unlike the chatty, gregarious protagonist of his novel, the author is quite reticent in public."Tech companies, like Apple and Facebook, have been extremely reticent to lift barriers for investigators because they fear it will compromise user security." — Jake Kanter, Business Insider, 14 June 2018

Word	reticent
Date	July 27, 2018
Type	adjective
Syllables	RET-uh-sunt
Etymology	Reticent in the sense of "inclined to be silent or uncommunicative" first appeared in English in the early 19th century. About 50 years later, reticent took on the additional sense of "reluctant" which, while it is now well established, bothers some people, particularly because it has veered away from the word's Latin origins—reticent is from the verb reticēre, meaning "to keep silent." But there is some sense in the way the newer meaning developed. We first tended to use the "reluctant" sense of reticent when the context was speech (as in "reticent to talk about her past"), thus keeping the word close to its "silent" sense. Eventually, however, exclusive association with speech was abandoned. Now one can be reticent to do anything.
Examples	Unlike the chatty, gregarious protagonist of his novel, the author is quite reticent in public. "Tech companies, like Apple and Facebook, have been extremely reticent to lift barriers for investigators because they fear it will compromise user security." — Jake Kanter, Business Insider, 14 June 2018
Definition	1 : inclined to be silent or uncommunicative in speech : reserved 2 : restrained in expression, presentation, or appearance 3 : reluctant

Reticent Sense Speech Silent Reluctant Meaning July Adjective