First Known Use: 1734
Dictionary
taciturn
adjective tac·i·turn \ˈta-sə-ˌtərn\
: tending to be quiet : not speaking frequently
Full Definition of TACITURN
: temperamentally disinclined to talk
— tac·i·tur·ni·ty \ˌta-sə-ˈtər-nə-tē\ noun
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Examples of TACITURN
- I went on speech strike … remaining defiantly taciturn through a procession of speech therapists and psychotherapists, verbalizing only to the gardener and swearing him to silence. —Simon Schama, New Republic, 22 July 2002
- The pipe-smoking Malcolm Cowley … though a faithful fellow-traveller, was too taciturn usually to show his hand. —Mary McCarthy, Granta 27, Summer 1989
- She was a small, taut, pale, wiry London girl, alarmingly taciturn, demon at basketball (at which she captained us) … —Elizabeth Bowen, The Mulberry Tree, 1986
- When he got to the substation that night, this private taciturn fellow had to spill his guts. If he didn't tell somebody, he might blow like a land mine. —Joseph Wambaugh, Lines and Shadows, 1984
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Origin of TACITURN
French or Latin; French taciturne, from Middle French, from Latin taciturnus, from tacitus (see tacit)
Related to TACITURN
- Synonyms
- closemouthed, dumb, laconic, reserved, reticent, silent, tight-lipped, uncommunicative
- Antonyms
- blabby, chatty, communicative, conversational, gabby, garrulous, loquacious, motormouthed, mouthy, talkative, talky, unreserved
Synonym Discussion of TACITURN
silent, taciturn, reticent, reserved, secretive mean showing restraint in speaking. silent implies a habit of saying no more than is needed <the strong, silent type>. taciturn implies a temperamental disinclination to speech and usually connotes unsociability <taciturn villagers>. reticent implies a reluctance to speak out or at length, especially about one's own affairs <was reticent about his plans>. reserved implies reticence and suggests the restraining influence of caution or formality in checking easy informal conversational exchange <greetings were brief, formal, and reserved>. 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>.
Rhymes with TACITURN
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