Retentive — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

good at remembering

having the capacity to retain something

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɹᵻtˈɛntɪv/

🇬🇧British English

/ɹɪtˈɛntɪv/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɹɪtˈɛntɪv/

3 syllables Say it as /ɹᵻtˈɛntɪv/.

Examples

a retentive mind
tenacious memory
soils retentive of moisture

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

recollective tenacious long

Antonyms

unretentive

Parts of Speech

adjective	good at remembering “a retentive mind”
adjective	having the capacity to retain something
adjective	having the power, capacity, or quality of retaining water “soils retentive of moisture”

Word Forms

retentiveness	noun	the power of retaining and recalling past experience
retentivity	noun	the power of retaining and recalling past experience
retain	verb	hold back within
recollect	verb	recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
tenaciousness	noun	persistent determination

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

zurückhaltend

gut im Erinnern

🇫🇷French

rémanent

bon pour se souvenir

🇪🇸Spanish

retentivo

bueno para recordar

🇮🇹Italian

ritentivo

bravo a ricordare

🇳🇱Dutch

vasthoudend

goed in onthouden

🇵🇹Portuguese

retentivo

bom em lembrar

🇷🇺Russian

сохраняющий

хорошо запоминает

India

🇮🇳Hindi

धारणा शक्तिवाला

याद रखने में अच्छा

🇧🇩Bengali

ধারণকারী

মনে রাখা ভালো

🇮🇳Tamil

தக்கவைக்கும்

நினைவில் வைத்திருப்பதில் நல்லவர்

🇮🇳Telugu

నిలుపుదల

గుర్తుంచుకోవడం మంచిది

🇮🇳Marathi

राखीव

लक्षात ठेवणे चांगले

🇮🇳Gujarati

ધારણ કરનાર

યાદ રાખવામાં સારું

🇮🇳Kannada

ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ

ನೆನಪಿಡುವಲ್ಲಿ ಉತ್ತಮ

🇮🇳Malayalam

നിലനിർത്തുന്ന

ഓർക്കാൻ മിടുക്കൻ

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਧਾਰਨੀ

ਯਾਦ ਰੱਖਣ ਵਿੱਚ ਚੰਗਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

برقرار رکھنے والا

یاد رکھنے میں اچھا ہے

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

保持性的

善于记忆

🇯🇵Japanese

保持的な

覚えるのが得意

🇰🇷Korean

유지력이 있는

기억을 잘한다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

lưu giữ

giỏi ghi nhớ

🇹🇭Thai

กักขัง

จำได้ดี

🇮🇩Indonesian

kuat

pandai mengingat

🇲🇾Malay

retentif

pandai mengingati

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

متذكر

جيد في التذكر

🇮🇷Persian

نگهدار

خوب در به خاطر سپردن

🇹🇷Turkish

kalıcı

hatırlamakta iyi

🇮🇱Hebrew

שומר

טוב בלזכור

Test Yourself1 / 3

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

The primary meaning of 'retentive' is 'good at remembering'.

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

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

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

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

Community Poll1 / 6

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

Very Often

Occasionally

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Never

Do you find 'retentive' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

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

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

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

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

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

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Never

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

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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