reticence
English
Noun
tight-lippedness, discretion, avoidance of saying too much
a silent and reserved nature
Quotations
* 1890 , Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray :
*:Basil's absurd fits of jealousy, his wild devotion, his extravagant panegyrics, his curious reticences , — he understood them all now, and he felt sorry.
* 1897 , Bram Stoker, Dracula :
*: You must not be angry with him, Art, because his very reticence means that all his brains are working for her good.(attention)
Synonyms
* reserve, secrecy, taciturnity
* bashfulness, demureness, diffidence, quietness, reservation, shyness, timidity
Antonyms
* openness, talkativeness
* loquaciousness, ostentation
Related terms
* reticent, reticently