MEANING
Habitually saying little.
Use it for
Sparse dialogue, withdrawn households, people whose few words matter.Use limited speech to define character without inventing motives.
Words that belong together
- taciturn caretaker
- taciturn disposition
- unusually taciturn
On the page
The taciturn driver spoke only when the bridge came into view.
With strangers he was taciturn, but his letters filled whole notebooks.
Her normally taciturn aunt surprised everyone by telling a long story.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- taciturn
Usage notes
Primary category: gothic. Describes a person's disposition rather than one moment of silence; need not imply hostility, secrecy, or shyness. Comparative more taciturn; superlative most taciturn. Derived noun taciturnity.
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