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Reticent vs Afraid - What's the difference?

reticent | afraid |

As adjectives the difference between reticent and afraid

is that reticent is reluctant; reticent while afraid is impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.

reticent

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Keeping one's thoughts and opinions to oneself; reserved or restrained.
  • * 1856 , :
  • They are slow and reticent , and are like a dull good horse which lets every nag pass him, but with whip and spur will run down every racer in the field.
  • * 1870 , , ch XXIII:
  • But he was a reticent as well as an eccentric man; and he made no mention of a certain evening when he warmed his hands at the gatehouse fire, and looked steadily down upon a certain heap of torn and miry clothes upon the floor.
  • * 1891 , , ch LIV:
  • She had told him she was not now at Marlott, but had been curiously reticent as to her actual address, and the only course was to go to Marlott and inquire for it.
  • * 1915 , , ch 3:
  • The milkman had been released, I read, and the true criminal, about whose identity the police were reticent , was believed to have got away from London by one of the northern lines.
  • * 1922 , :
  • The inhabitants of that street impressed me peculiarly; At first I thought it was because they were all silent and reticent ; but later decided it was because they were all very old.
  • * 1922 , , ch XXV:
  • But they were not reticent enough to prevent the circulation of certain uneasy rumours and extravagant stories of discreditable adventures.

    Synonyms

    * reserved, restrained, tight-lipped * See also

    afraid

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.
  • He is afraid of death.
    He is afraid to die.
    He is afraid that he will die.
  • (colloquial) regretful, sorry
  • I am afraid I can not help you in this matter .

    Usage notes

    * (term) expresses a lesser degree of fear than (terrified) or (frightened). It is often followed by the preposition (term) and the object of fear, or by an infinitive, or by a dependent clause, as shown in the examples above.

    Synonyms

    * (Impressed with fear or apprehension) afeared, alarmed, anxious, apprehensive, fearful, timid, timorous * (Regretful) sorry * See also

    Derived terms

    * 'fraid * afraidness * I'm afraid not * I'm afraid so * unafraid

    See also

    * fear

    Statistics

    * 1000 English basic words ----