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reținut

reserved (restrained, not showing one's feelings openly) /re.t͡siˈnut/

adjective#3826 most common

Also: restrained, discreet, detained (by police or authorities), held back, withheld

Example sentences

El este reținut.
He is reserved.
Este o fată reținută și timidă.
She's a reserved and shy girl.
Poliția a reținut un suspect ieri.
Police detained a suspect yesterday.
Manifestanții au fost reținuți de poliție timp de câteva ore.
The protesters were held by police for several hours.
Directorul a rămas reținut față de propunerea noastră, fără să-și dezvăluie părerea.
The director stayed reserved about our proposal, without revealing his opinion.
Deși era vizibil emoționat, și-a păstrat un aer reținut și distant pe tot parcursul discursului, ceea ce a descumpănit publicul.
Although he was visibly moved, he kept a reserved, distant air throughout the speech, which unsettled the audience.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativereținutreținuți
Genitivereținutreținuți
Accusativereținutreținuți
Vocativereținutreținuți

Word family

a rețineto hold back, retain, detain, remember
reținererestraint, detention, retention
nereținutunrestrained, uninhibited
țineto hold

Etymology

Reținut is the past participle of a reține, built from the prefix re- (back, again) and ține (to hold), which continues Latin tenere. The verb tracks Latin retinere (to hold back, retain) closely in both form and meaning. Over time the participle also settled into an independent adjective describing someone who holds back their feelings.

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