Retention — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

the act of retaining something

the power of retaining and recalling past experience

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɹᵻtˈɛnʃən/

🇬🇧British English

/ɹɪtˈɛnʃən/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɹɪtˈɛnʃən/

3 syllables Say it as /ɹᵻtˈɛnʃən/.

Examples

he had a good memory when he was younger
moisture retentivity of soil

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

keeping retentivity memory retentiveness holding

Parts of Speech

noun	the act of retaining something
noun	the power of retaining and recalling past experience “he had a good memory when he was younger”
noun	the power of retaining liquid “moisture retentivity of soil”

Word Forms

retain	verb	secure and keep for possible future use or application
keep	verb	retain possession of
hold	verb	secure and keep for possible future use or application
memorize	verb	commit to memory; learn by heart
retentive	adjective	good at remembering

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Zurückbehaltung

der Akt, etwas zu behalten

🇫🇷French

rétention

le fait de conserver quelque chose

🇪🇸Spanish

retención

el acto de retener algo

🇮🇹Italian

ritenzione

l'atto di trattenere qualcosa

🇳🇱Dutch

behoud

de handeling van het vasthouden van iets

🇵🇹Portuguese

retenção

o ato de reter algo

🇷🇺Russian

удержание

акт сохранения чего-либо

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अवधारण

किसी चीज़ को अपने पास रखने की क्रिया या भाव

🇧🇩Bengali

ধারণ

কিছু ধরে রাখার কাজ

🇮🇳Tamil

தக்கவைத்தல்

எதையாவது தக்கவைக்கும் செயல்

🇮🇳Telugu

ధారణ

ఏదో నిలుపుకునే చర్య

🇮🇳Marathi

धारणा

काहीतरी ठेवण्याची क्रिया

🇮🇳Gujarati

રીટેન્શન

કંઈક જાળવી રાખવાની ક્રિયા

🇮🇳Kannada

ಧಾರಣ

ಏನನ್ನಾದರೂ ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಕ್ರಿಯೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

നിലനിർത്തൽ

എന്തെങ്കിലും നിലനിർത്തുന്നതിനുള്ള പ്രവർത്തനം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਧਾਰਨ

ਕਿਸੇ ਚੀਜ਼ ਨੂੰ ਬਰਕਰਾਰ ਰੱਖਣ ਦੀ ਕਿਰਿਆ

🇵🇰Urdu

برقرار رکھنا

کسی چیز کو برقرار رکھنے کا عمل

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

保留

保留某物的行为

🇯🇵Japanese

保持

何かを保持する行為

🇰🇷Korean

보유

무언가를 간직하는 행위

🇻🇳Vietnamese

sự giữ lại

hành động giữ lại một cái gì đó

🇹🇭Thai

การเก็บรักษา

การกระทำเพื่อรักษาบางสิ่งบางอย่าง

🇮🇩Indonesian

penyimpanan

tindakan mempertahankan sesuatu

🇵🇭Filipino

pagpapanatili

ang pagkilos ng pagpapanatili ng isang bagay

🇲🇾Malay

pengekalan

tindakan mengekalkan sesuatu

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

حفظ

فعل الاحتفاظ بشيء ما

🇮🇷Persian

حفظ

عمل حفظ چیزی

🇹🇷Turkish

tutulma

bir şeyi saklama eylemi

🇮🇱Hebrew

הַחזָקָה

הפעולה של שמירה על משהו

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'retention'?

The primary meaning of 'retention' is 'the act of retaining something'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'retention' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'retention' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'retention' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'retention' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'retention' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'retention' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'retention' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'retention' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'retention' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'retention' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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