Choose the correct one-word substitute for “one who speaks less”:

Correct answer: Reticent. A reticent person is reserved and speaks little.

Background: Reticent comes from the Latin reticere, “to keep silent”.

• Orator: An orator is a skilled public speaker.
• Recluse: A recluse is a person who lives alone, avoiding society.
• Introvert: An introvert prefers quiet, but “reticent” is the word that means speaking little.

Did you know? A similar word is taciturn.

Memory trick: Reticent = rarely talks.