retentiveness n 1: the power of retaining and recalling past experience; "he had a good memory when he was younger" [syn: {memory}, {retention}, {retentiveness}, {retentivity}] 2: the property of retaining possessions that have been acquired [syn: {retentiveness}, {retentivity}] 3: the power of retaining liquid; "moisture retentivity of soil" [syn: {retentiveness}, {retentivity}, {retention}]
Retentiveness \Re*ten"tive*ness\, n. The quality of being retentive. [1913 Webster]