retentive

/rɪˈtɛntɪv/

If something is retentive, it is able to hold something else, so be glad if you have a retentive mind and grab a sponge if you need something retentive to sop up water.

Retentive is closely related to the word retain. Both come from the Latin retinere, which means "to hold back." If you are a farmer, it's good to know how water-retentive your soil is, or how much water it can hold and store. How much information can your brain hold and store? For someone with a retentive mind or memory or eye, it's quite a lot!

Definitions of retentive

1. adjective

   having the capacity to retain something
2. adjective

   having the power, capacity, or quality of retaining water
   “soils retentive of moisture”

   synonyms:

   impermeable

   preventing especially liquids to pass or diffuse through
3. adjective

   good at remembering
   “a retentive mind”

   synonyms: long, recollective, tenacious

   aware, mindful

   bearing in mind; attentive to

   antonyms:

   unretentive

   (of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range

   forgetful, mindless, unmindful

   not mindful or attentive