Skip to content

reticente

reluctant, reticent

adjective rreh-tee-SEHN-teh Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Personality

Origin: From Latin 'reticens' (keeping silent), from 'reticere' (to be silent about).

Usage Note

Reticente is a false friend for English speakers: in Spanish it primarily means 'reluctant' or 'unwilling', not merely 'reserved in speech' as 'reticent' often means in English. The standard construction is reticente a + infinitive (reticente a hablar = reluctant to speak). The invariable form is the same for masculine and feminine; its plural is reticentes.

Examples

"El ministro se mostró reticente a responder las preguntas."

Natural Translation

The minister was reluctant to answer the questions.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic