reserved

[ri-zurvd]

adjective

1. kept or set apart for some particular use or purpose.

2. kept by special arrangement for some person.

   a reserved seat.

3. formal or self-restrained in manner and relationship; avoiding familiarity or intimacy with others.

   a quiet, reserved man.

   Synonyms: composed, cold, distant, withdrawn, taciturn, constrained, reticent, controlled

4. characterized by reserve, as the disposition, manner, etc..

   reserved comments.

   Synonyms: composed, cold, distant, withdrawn, taciturn, constrained, reticent, controlled

5. retaining the original color of a surface, especially when decorating portions of the surface with other colors.

reserved

/ rɪˈzɜːvd, rɪˈzɜːvɪdlɪ /

adjective

1. set aside for use by a particular person or people

   this table is reserved

2. cool or formal in manner; restrained, silent, or reticent

3. destined; fated

   reserved for great things

4. referring to matters that are the responsibility of the national parliament rather than a devolved regional assembly

   defence is a reserved issue

Other Word Forms

• reservedness noun
• reservedly adverb
• overreserved adjective
• overreservedly adverb
• overreservedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reserved¹

A late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; reserve, -ed ²

Example Sentences

The Daily Telegraph reports Rayner saved £40,000 in stamp duty by not paying the higher rate reserved for additional home purchases.

From BBC

Below are rows of seats reserved for 26 foreign heads of state, including Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, whose attendance is a diplomatic win for Xi.

From BBC

“These are the type of tactics reserved for dangerous criminals such as violent gang members, drug lords, and terrorists,” the attorneys said.

From Los Angeles Times

Filling units reserved for veterans is only half the problem.

From Los Angeles Times

Here we meet four very different residents united around an unusual hobby, meeting weekly — that is, on Thursdays, when they have the room reserved — to discuss unsolved murders with an eye to solving them.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aloof 
• cautious 
• composed 
• distant 
• modest 
• peaceful 
• placid 
• quiet 
• restrained 
• reticent 
• serene 
• soft-spoken 
• taciturn