mindmap root((沉默)) silent implies a habit of saying no more than is needed: her husband was the ~ type, not given to idle chatter. taciturn implies a temperamental disinclination to speech and usually connotes unsociability: the locals are ~ and not receptive to outsiders. reticent implies a reluctance to speak out or at length, especially about one's own affairs: strangely ~ about his plans. reserved implies reticence and suggests the restraining influence of caution or formality in checking easy informal exchange: a ~ and distant demeanor. secretive too, implies reticence, but usually carries a disparaging suggestion of lack of frankness or of a will to conceal something that might be reasonably made known: a ~ public official usually stingy with news stories.