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reserved

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verb

past tense of reserve

Synonym Chooser

How is the word reserved distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of reserved are reticent, secretive, silent, and taciturn. While all these words mean "showing restraint in speaking," reserved implies reticence and suggests the restraining influence of caution or formality in checking easy informal conversational exchange.

greetings were brief, formal, and reserved

When could reticent be used to replace reserved?

While the synonyms reticent and reserved are close in meaning, reticent implies a reluctance to speak out or at length, especially about one's own affairs.

was reticent about his plans

When would secretive be a good substitute for reserved?

In some situations, the words secretive and reserved are roughly equivalent. However, secretive, too, implies reticence but usually carries a suggestion of deviousness and lack of frankness or of an often ostentatious will to conceal.

the secretive research and development division

When is it sensible to use silent instead of reserved?

The meanings of silent and reserved largely overlap; however, silent implies a habit of saying no more than is needed.

the strong, silent type

Where would taciturn be a reasonable alternative to reserved?

While in some cases nearly identical to reserved, taciturn implies a temperamental disinclination to speech and usually connotes unsociability.

taciturn villagers

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reserved
Adjective
But Vientos was surprised to find out that someone who plays with so much flair on the field was so reserved. Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025 Cartagena, Spain, won third prize for its assistance to people with disabilities bathing at popular beaches, and for reserved accessible seats at public events. Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
And there were also a couple dozen members of the public seated to witness the court proceedings and they were seated in the back of the courtroom in a couple of rows that are reserved for members of the public. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025 This type of funeral is typically reserved for line-of-duty deaths, according to the National Volunteer Fire Council. Lauren De Young, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reserved
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reserved
Adjective
  • So far, the ESA has been silent on Trump excluding video game consoles from his tariff exemptions.
    Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The Taliban are also silent on the other restrictions and whether there is any chance of removing them.
    Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Producers hold onto their rights and their IP and the value from our spend is retained in the UK, not across the Atlantic.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Leicester have retained their former men’s training ground, Belvoir Drive, just outside the city centre, which is situated in a housing estate, and there is so far no information on the Land Registry of a sale.
    Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Simmons' initial reaction to the insult was a bit more restrained than his typical unfiltered comments.
    Marina Watts, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • This year, the prestigious but far more restrained perpetual calendar was the complication of choice.
    Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In the comment sections, fans were excited that Kelce kept the same hair length.
    Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
  • At the time, details of the proposal were being kept under wraps.
    Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Brown devoted Wednesdays to mobility and conditioning after years of just incorporating it into his daily workouts.
    Chandler Rome, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The special section of Art Bulletin—which, as the discipline’s flagship journal, constitutes a semiofficial statement about AI’s importance in the field—devoted the majority of its space to critical commentary about the application of computer vision to works of art.
    Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.
    Daniel Jackson, Allure, 18 July 2017
  • Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.
    Andy Benoit, The MMQB, 10 July 2017
Verb
  • The couple married on July 25, 2020, and held their wedding celebration on July 9, 2022, at MSU’s Breslin Student Events Center, where the basketball team plays.
    Alexandra Hurtado, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Also, the Heat held the NBA’s 14th-worst record at the start of the skid and now has the league’s eighth-worst record this season.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Some sets were constructed in Toronto, disassembled and shipped out and have now been preserved for a potential second season.
    Amber Dowling, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Yet Flores would like to see our historic places — which are in fact the city’s Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) — not preserved.
    Bruce D Coons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reserved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reserved. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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