Reticent means reserved about speaking — holding back what you think or feel. Reluctant means unwilling to do something, anything at all. A reticent witness will not say much; a reluctant witness does not want to be there. Reticent used loosely to mean "reluctant" is common enough to be listed in some dictionaries, but it loses a distinction worth keeping.
The core difference
Both describe unwillingness. Only one is specifically about speech.
- reticent — unwilling to speak or disclose: reticent about her private life.
- reluctant — unwilling to act: reluctant to sign, a reluctant participant.
The drift
"Reticent to invest" and "reticent to commit" appear frequently and are what usage guides object to: the sentence has nothing to do with speech, so reluctant is the word wanted. The looser sense is now recorded in some dictionaries, so it is not exactly an error — but where speech is not involved, reluctant is unambiguous and reticent is not.
The root
Reticent comes from Latin tacere, to be silent — the same root as tacit. The silence is built into the word.
Frequently asked questions
Can reticent mean reluctant?
It is increasingly used that way and some dictionaries record it, but the core sense is about being unwilling to speak. Where speech is not involved, reluctant is clearer.
What is the root of reticent?
Latin tacere, to be silent — the same root as tacit. Silence is built into the word.
Which should I write in formal English?
Reticent only for holding back speech; reluctant for unwillingness to act. That keeps a distinction some readers will expect.