adj
Meaning 1
Having power to retain.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- a soil that is highly retentive of rainwater
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
retentive
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ɹɪˈtɛntɪv/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
adj
Meaning 2
Anal-retentive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: apocopic, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
That which retains or confines; a restraint.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 4
good at remembering
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a retentive mind
- tenacious memory
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: recollective, long, tenacious
Antonyms: unretentive
adjective
Meaning 5
having the capacity to retain something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
having the power, capacity, or quality of retaining water
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- soils retentive of moisture
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French rétentif, from Old French retentif, from Medieval Latin retentivus, from Latin retentus.