Synonyms

retained

American

[ri-teynd] / rɪˈteɪnd /

adjective

not lost, destroyed, released, sold, or given away; kept.

The vendor overvalued both the sold 1,790 acres and the retained 566 acres of Green Meadows.
kept in use or practice; continued or preserved.

We are proud of the retained traditions of entrepreneurship of our ancestors, their respectful and careful attitude to land and craft.
(of something perceived or learned) remembered or kept in mind.

They get taught it in basic training, but without constant practice, land navigation is not a retained skill for the average soldier.
engaged for service, often by payment of a preliminary fee.

To apply for this opportunity in confidence, send your resume and remuneration details to the retained consultants, Kirk & Paulson Consulting Ltd., for an initial interview.
kept in check or held in place; held back.

On completion of the dam, the retained water was diverted for irrigation via two canals.
Medicine/Medical. kept in the body, especially abnormally; not expelled or eliminated.

Three weeks after delivery I was back in the hospital, seriously ill and having a D&C to remove a retained placenta.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of retain.

Other Word Forms

unretained adjective

Etymology

Origin of retained

retain ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In laboratory experiments, the devices remained stable through tens of thousands of switching cycles and retained their programmed states for about a day.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

Since then, Avis has retained much of its meme-stock DNA, according to Joseph Saluzzi of Themis Trading, who noted its high volume of short interest, a relatively small float and an explosion of trading volume.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

Jersey Mike’s founder Peter Cancro retained a roughly 10% stake in the chain, which has more than 3,200 locations and is the second-largest sub-style sandwich company in the U.S. by sales, trailing only Subway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The annual ending balances were calculated in inflation-adjusted dollars so the exercise could tell how much spending power a portfolio retained over time.

From Barron's • Apr. 19, 2026

Isidore, although he had heard the expression a number of times, retained only a dim notion as to its meaning.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023