reticent

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>reticent</strong> &#149; \RET-uh-sunt\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Reticent</em> is often used as a synonym of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reserved"><em>reserved</em></a> to describe someone who does not readily or openly talk to others. Despite objections from some, <em>reticent</em> is also often used as a synonym of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctant"><em>reluctant</em></a>.</p> <p>// She is <em>reticent</em> about discussing her personal business with anyone. </p> <p>// Despite claims of openness, the organization has always been <em>reticent</em> to disclose even the most basic information about its internal operations.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reticent">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“Having long harbored ambitions to produce and direct, [Eva] Longoria decided it was time to pivot. But the same industry that was ready to program her into its fall lineup was more <em>reticent</em> to put her behind the camera for one of its series.” — Mia Galuppo, <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>, 28 June 2023 </p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>We hate to break it to the language sticklers among us, but use of <em>reticent</em> as a synonym of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctant"><em>reluctant</em></a>—though it veers away from the word’s Latin origins in the verb <em>reticēre</em>, meaning “to keep silent”—is well established, and there is no reason to be reticent about employing it. In fact, <em>reticent</em> took on its “reluctant” sense a mere 50 years after first appearing in English in the early 19th century with the meaning “inclined to be silent or uncommunicative.” Though brows may <a href="https://www.merria