retentive
/ri'tentiv/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Having the power or capacity to retain or hold: Describes something that can keep or hold onto something else, such as a substance holding moisture.
- Having a good memory; able to remember facts and impressions easily and for a long time: Describes a mind or memory that retains information effectively.
Usage
- The primary use of "retentive" is to describe an object's physical capacity to hold something or a person's mental capacity to remember.
- It is often followed by the preposition "of" when describing what is being retained (e.g., retentive of moisture).
- When describing memory, it is typically used attributively before nouns like "mind" or "memory."
Examples
- Describing physical retention:
- Clay is a retentive soil, ideal for holding water for plants.
- The sponge is highly retentive of liquid.
- Describing mental retention:
- She has a remarkably retentive memory for names and faces.
- A retentive mind is a great asset for a historian.
Advanced Usage
- "Retentive of": This phrase specifies what is being held or retained.
- The fabric is specially treated to be retentive of heat.
- In a more figurative or psychological context, it can describe holding onto abstract things.
- He was retentive of old grievances, never able to truly forgive.
Variants and Related Words
- Retention (n): The act of retaining or the state of being retained.
- The retention of key staff is vital for the company.
- Retentiveness (n): The quality or state of being retentive.
- The retentiveness of his memory amazed his teachers.
Synonyms
- Tenacious: Tending to keep a firm hold of something; clinging or adhering closely. (e.g., a memory).
- Absorbent: Able to soak up liquid easily. (For the physical sense).
- Memorious: Having a good memory. (A more literary synonym).
Antonyms
- Forgetful: Apt or likely not to remember.
- Porous: Full of pores; allowing liquid or air to pass through easily (opposite of physically retentive).
- Permeable: Allowing liquids or gases to pass through.
Related Phrases
- Retentive memory: This is a common collocation emphasizing the ability to remember.
- His retentive memory allowed him to recite poems from his childhood.
- Retentive capacity: Often used in technical or scientific contexts to describe how much something can hold.
- The study measured the soil's retentive capacity for nutrients.
Adjective
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having the power, capacity, or quality of retaining water
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soils retentive of moisture
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having the capacity to retain something
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good at remembering
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a retentive mind
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tenacious memory
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