Standard Lemma guide

taciturn

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtæsɪtɜːn/
  • US: /ˈtæsɪtɝn/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T AE1 S IH0 T ER2 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Silent; temperamentally untalkative; disinclined to speak.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The two sisters could hardly have been more different, one so boisterous and expressive, the other so taciturn and calm.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: reticent, untalkative

Antonyms: garrulous, loquacious

2

adjective

Meaning 2

habitually reserved and uncommunicative

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: voluble

History

Etymology

Back-formation from taciturnity, from Middle English taciturnite, from Latin taciturnitās; or alternatively from French taciturne, likely reinforced by Latin taciturnus, from tacitus (“secret, tacit”).

Across languages

Translations

79 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: маўклі́вы (mawklívy) — untalkative, silent
  • Belarusian: негаманлі́вы (njehamanlívy) — untalkative, silent
  • Belarusian: нетавары́скі (njetavarýski) — untalkative, silent
  • Bulgarian: мълчали́в (mǎlčalív) — untalkative, silent
  • Bulgarian: необщи́телен (neobštítelen) — untalkative, silent
  • Catalan: taciturn — untalkative, silent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 沉默寡言 (chénmòguǎyán) — untalkative, silent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 沉默 (chénmò) — untalkative, silent
  • Czech: mlčenlivý — untalkative, silent
  • Czech: nemluvný — untalkative, silent
  • Danish: fåmælt — untalkative, silent
  • Danish: ordknap — untalkative, silent
  • Dutch: zwijgzaam — untalkative, silent
  • Esperanto: silentema — untalkative, silent
  • Finnish: hiljainen — untalkative, silent
  • Finnish: jörö — untalkative, silent
  • French: taciturne — untalkative, silent
  • Galician: taciturno — untalkative, silent
  • Georgian: სიტყვაძვირი (siṭq̇vaʒviri) — untalkative, silent
  • Georgian: სიტყვაძუნწი (siṭq̇vaʒunc̣i) — untalkative, silent
  • Georgian: ენაუთქმელი (enautkmeli) — untalkative, silent
  • Georgian: სიტყვაუთქმელი (siṭq̇vautkmeli) — untalkative, silent
  • Georgian: სულგაკმენდილი (sulgaḳmendili) — untalkative, silent
  • Georgian: სულგანაბული (sulganabuli) — untalkative, silent
  • Georgian: უსიტყვო (usiṭq̇vo) — untalkative, silent
  • German: schweigsam — untalkative, silent
  • German: wortkarg — untalkative, silent
  • German: maulfaul — untalkative, silent
  • German: verschwiegen — untalkative, silent
  • German: kurzsilbig — untalkative, silent
  • German: einsilbig — untalkative, silent
  • German: sprechfaul — untalkative, silent
  • German: mundfaul — untalkative, silent
  • Greek: λακωνικός (lakonikós) — untalkative, silent
  • Greek: ολιγόλογος (oligólogos) — untalkative, silent
  • Greek: σιωπηλός (siopilós) — untalkative, silent
  • Ancient Greek: ἐχέμυθος (ekhémuthos) — untalkative, silent
  • Ancient Greek: σιωπητικός (siōpētikós) — untalkative, silent
  • Hungarian: hallgatag — untalkative, silent
  • Icelandic: þögull — untalkative, silent
  • Ido: tacera — untalkative, silent
  • Ido: tacema — untalkative, silent
  • Irish: tostach — untalkative, silent
  • Italian: taciturno — untalkative, silent
  • Japanese: 無口な (mukuchi na) — untalkative, silent
  • Japanese: 寡黙な (kamoku na) — untalkative, silent
  • Latin: taciturnus — untalkative, silent
  • Macedonian: ќутлив (ḱutliv) — untalkative, silent
  • Macedonian: молчалив (molčaliv) — untalkative, silent
  • Māori: whakarikiriki — untalkative, silent
  • Māori: hauarea — untalkative, silent
  • Māori: hauwarea — untalkative, silent
  • Norwegian: tagal — untalkative, silent
  • Persian: کم حرف (kam harf) — untalkative, silent
  • Persian: کم گوی (kam guy) — untalkative, silent
  • Polish: małomówny — untalkative, silent
  • Polish: milczący — untalkative, silent
  • Polish: milkliwy — untalkative, silent
  • Portuguese: taciturno — untalkative, silent
  • Romanian: taciturn — untalkative, silent
  • Russian: молчали́вый (molčalívyj) — untalkative, silent
  • Russian: неразгово́рчивый (nerazgovórčivyj) — untalkative, silent
  • Russian: необщи́тельный (neobščítelʹnyj) — untalkative, silent
  • Serbo-Croatian: шу̀тљив — untalkative, silent
  • Serbo-Croatian: муча̀љив — untalkative, silent
  • Serbo-Croatian: неразговорљив — untalkative, silent
  • Serbo-Croatian: šùtljiv — untalkative, silent
  • Serbo-Croatian: mučàljiv — untalkative, silent
  • Serbo-Croatian: nerazgovorljiv — untalkative, silent
  • Slovak: mlčanlivý — untalkative, silent
  • Slovene: molčeč — untalkative, silent
  • Spanish: taciturno — untalkative, silent
  • Swedish: fåordig — untalkative, silent
  • Swedish: tystlåten — untalkative, silent
  • Swedish: ordkarg — untalkative, silent
  • Swedish: ordknapp — untalkative, silent
  • Ukrainian: мовчазни́й (movčaznýj) — untalkative, silent
  • Ukrainian: мовчазли́вий (movčazlývyj) — untalkative, silent
  • Ukrainian: нетовари́ський (netovarýsʹkyj) — untalkative, silent