RELUCTANT, NOT RETICENT

In contemporary American speech, especially in the media, one now frequently hears the word reticent used where the speaker means reluctant. Here are the first definitions of these words as registered in Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary Online:

Reluctant : hesitant from or as if from dislike, doubt, fear, or scruple : feeling or showing aversion, hesitation, or unwillingness

Reticent: inclined to keep silent or uncommunicative : given to reserve in speech

It is obvious that these two words are being confused because of the identity of the beginnings of their written forms and the semantic closeness of their meanings, but reluctance and reticence are not identical (“reticent” necessarily involves speech), hence the presence of error when “reticent” is used instead of “reluctance”.

MICHAEL SHAPIRO