Retentive
adj.capable, thoughtfulformal
What it means
Able to keep information, moisture, heat, or another property effectively.
Reach for it when praising holding capacity while naming what is retained
Her retentive memory preserved the details of every field visit.
Choose between these
6- playful
memory-rich
strong recall gets informal emphasis
not when Memory-rich is not standard usage.
- everyday
good at remembering
human memory needs plain praise
not when The phrase cannot describe soil.
- everyday
holding
capacity to keep something is central
not when Holding is vague without an object.
- professional
absorptive
material takes in and holds liquid
not when Absorption differs from retention.
- professional
water-retentive
soil or material holds water
not when The compound is limited to water.
- literary
something clings firmly
not when Tenacious often implies effort or adhesion.
Said against
3- forgetful
- porous
- nonretentive
It naturally appears in
3- retentive memory
A retentive memory helped the guide learn every name.
- water-retentive soil
Water-retentive soil protected the seedlings in July.
- highly retentive
The material is highly retentive of heat.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective sense: having power to retain opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.