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
Some experts believe that the Harris campaign’s reticence to be more overt about its LGBTQ+ allyship could be a defensive move: Republicans are reportedly spending millions on anti-trans attack ads in competitive races across the country.
—
Nico Lang, Them, 18 Oct. 2024
The film quickly establishes the Narrator’s emotional reticence.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
But his critics on the left, many of them of color, have long pointed out these very blind spots in his work—the parochialism of his politics and his reticence where Muslim, and particularly Palestinian, death and suffering were concerned.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
But even in California there can be reticence to trying new things.
—Rachel M. Cohen, Vox, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reticence 
Nico Lang, Them, 18 Oct. 2024
The film quickly establishes the Narrator’s emotional reticence.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
But his critics on the left, many of them of color, have long pointed out these very blind spots in his work—the parochialism of his politics and his reticence where Muslim, and particularly Palestinian, death and suffering were concerned.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
But even in California there can be reticence to trying new things.
—Rachel M. Cohen, Vox, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for reticence
Thesaurus Entries Near reticence
Cite this Entry
“Reticence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reticence. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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