taciturn

adjective

tac·​i·​turn ˈta-sə-ˌtərn How to pronounce taciturn (audio)
: temperamentally disinclined to talk
taciturnity noun

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How should you use taciturn?

Taciturn shows up in English in the first half of the 18th century. James Miller, a British clergyman educated at Oxford, gives an early example of its use in his 1734 satiric drama, wherein a character describes a nephew with the following: "When he was little, he never was what they call Roguish or Waggish, but was always close, quiet, and taciturn." It seems we waited unduly long to adopt this useful descendent of the Latin verb tacēre, meaning "to be silent"; we were quicker to adopt other words from the tacēre family. We've been using tacit, an adjective meaning "expressed without words" or "implied," since at least the mid-17th century. And we've had the noun taciturnity, meaning "habitual silence," since at least the mid-15th century.

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of taciturn in a Sentence

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
a somewhat taciturn young man a taciturn man, he almost never initiates a conversation
Recent Examples on the Web Even answering a few press questions about the film seemed like an unusual level of engagement for the taciturn producer. Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 There are plenty of other eye-catching additions to the cast—Christopher Walken as the taciturn emperor, Florence Pugh as his chain-mail-wearing daughter. David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 Ritchson’s turn complements hers nicely, the actor letting his massive frame do the work for him as the taciturn, emotionally undemonstrative Ed who loves his children dearly and will do anything for them. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024 Since that time, India’s supreme court has become surprisingly deferential and taciturn. Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2024 Here, a shaggy adventure tale about a delinquent foster boy and a taciturn New Zealand loner becomes all at once hilarious, wry, and wrenching as the mismatched and reluctant duo find themselves on the run in the wilderness after a series of misfortunes and misunderstandings. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2024 Allison Williams was eloquent, Lily-Rose Depp was … a bit taciturn, and Ben Platt ended an interview over it. Vulture, 12 Jan. 2024 Patrick was a rangy, taciturn boy, who tended to shy away from confrontation. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2024 The against-all-odds ethos of Belichick’s teams became a rallying cry in New England, as did his reputation as a taciturn, stony leader, most notably in team practices. Bill Pennington, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'taciturn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French or Latin; French taciturne, from Middle French, from Latin taciturnus, from tacitus — see tacit

First Known Use

1734, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of taciturn was in 1734

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Cite this Entry

“Taciturn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taciturn. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

taciturn

adjective
tac·​i·​turn ˈtas-ə-ˌtərn How to pronounce taciturn (audio)
: tending to not speak
taciturnity noun
taciturnly
ˈtas-ə-ˌtərn-lē
adverb

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