Maintain vs. Remain — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 2, 2024
Maintain implies actively upholding or preserving a state, while remain refers to passively staying in the same state or condition.
Difference Between Maintain and Remain
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Maintain involves active efforts to keep something in its current state or condition. It often implies the use of resources or actions to uphold a particular status, quality, or condition. Whereas remain is passive and describes the act of staying in the same place or condition without necessarily taking deliberate actions to do so.
When you maintain something, you might be preventing it from deteriorating or ensuring it continues to operate effectively. This could include maintaining a vehicle, a relationship, or one's health. On the other hand, to remain suggests no change has occurred, such as remaining calm during a crisis or remaining in the same job for many years.
Maintaining can also imply adhering to principles, rules, or standards, requiring conscious effort and commitment. For example, maintaining a balanced diet or maintaining discipline. Meanwhile, remain can denote a state of being that continues over time, often without the need for active intervention, like remaining silent during a meeting or remaining faithful to a cause.
In some contexts, maintain can mean to assert or declare something firmly in the face of opposition or skepticism. This involves a psychological or communicative action, such as maintaining one's innocence. Conversely, remain does not involve any assertion; it simply describes a state of continuity, such as remaining neutral in a debate.
Maintenance usually requires a proactive approach and can be associated with cost, time, and energy, like maintaining a garden or a software system. Remaining, however, doesn’t typically imply an expenditure of resources beyond what’s necessary to continue as is, such as remaining seated or remaining at one’s current level of understanding.
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Comparison Chart
Nature
Active
Passive
Implication
Requires effort or action
No action required; status quo
Examples
Maintaining health, a car, relationships
Remaining calm, in place, faithful
Contexts
Often involves physical, emotional, or financial effort
Typically involves staying in a state or position
Communication
Can mean to assert or declare
Involves no assertion; denotes continuity
Compare with Definitions
Maintain
To continue to have; to keep in possession.
He maintains a strong work ethic.
Remain
To persist in a state, condition, or position.
She remains confident in her decision.
Maintain
To carry out tasks necessary for.
Regular check-ups are necessary to maintain your car's performance.
Remain
To continue to exist.
Questions remain regarding the unsolved case.
Maintain
To keep in an existing state.
We maintain our garden to ensure it always looks beautiful.
Remain
To be left after others have gone or been removed.
A few students remain after class to ask questions.
Maintain
To uphold or defend.
She maintained her innocence throughout the trial.
Remain
To stay in the same place or condition.
The building remains after the earthquake.
Maintain
To provide for; to sustain.
They maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating well and exercising.
Remain
To stay behind or in the background.
He chose to remain silent during the discussion.
Maintain
Cause or enable (a condition or situation) to continue
The need to maintain close links between industry and schools
Remain
To continue in the same state or condition
These matters remain in doubt.
Maintain
Provide with necessities for life or existence
The allowance covers the basic costs of maintaining a child
Remain
To continue to be in the same place; stay or stay behind
We are remaining at home.
Maintain
State something strongly to be the case; assert
He has always maintained his innocence
He had persistently maintained that he would not stand against his old friend
Remain
To be left after the removal, loss, passage, or destruction of others
Only a few trees remained after the storm. ].
Maintain
To keep up or carry on; continue
Maintain good relations.
Remain
That which is left; relic; remainder.
Maintain
To keep in an existing state; preserve or retain
Maintain one's composure.
Remain
(in the plural) That which is left of a human being after the life is gone; relics; a dead body.
Maintain
To keep in a condition of good repair or efficiency
Maintain two cars.
Remain
Posthumous works or productions, especially literary works.
Maintain
To provide for; support
Maintain a family.
Remain
(obsolete) State of remaining; stay.
Maintain
To keep in existence; sustain
Enough food to maintain life.
Remain
To stay after others or other parts have been removed or otherwise disappeared.
After three rounds of interviews, only 5 candidates remained.
I like to make more than enough food if I have people round for dinner, so I can eat my way through what remains in the following days.
Maintain
To defend or hold against criticism or attack
Maintained his stand on taxes.
Remain
(mathematics) To be left after a number or quantity has been subtracted or cut off; to be left as not included or comprised.
If you divide 20 apples between three people, each gets six and two remain.
Maintain
To declare to be true; affirm
Maintained her innocence.
Remain
To continue unchanged in place, form, or condition, or undiminished in quantity; to abide; to stay; to endure; to last.
Maintain
To adhere or conform to; keep
Maintain a busy schedule.
Remain
To await; to be left to.
Maintain
To support (someone), to back up or assist (someone) in an action.
Remain
(copulative) To continue in a state of being.
There was no food in the house, so I had to remain hungry.
The light remained red for two full minutes.
Maintain
To keep up; to preserve; to uphold (a state, condition etc.).
Remain
To stay behind while others withdraw; to be left after others have been removed or destroyed; to be left after a number or quantity has been subtracted or cut off; to be left as not included or comprised.
Gather up the fragments that remain.
Of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
That . . . remains to be proved.
Maintain
To declare or affirm (a clause) to be true; to assert.
Remain
To continue unchanged in place, form, or condition, or undiminished in quantity; to abide; to stay; to endure; to last.
Remain a widow at thy father's house.
Childless thou art; childless remain.
Maintain
To hold or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; to uphold; to keep up; not to suffer to fail or decline; as, to maintain a certain degree of heat in a furnace; to maintain a fence or a railroad; to maintain the digestive process or powers of the stomach; to maintain the fertility of soil; to maintain present reputation.
Remain
To await; to be left to.
The easier conquest now remains thee.
Maintain
To keep possession of; to hold and defend; not to surrender or relinquish.
God values . . . every one as he maintains his post.
Remain
State of remaining; stay.
Which often, since my here remain in England,I 've seen him do.
Maintain
To continue; not to suffer to cease or fail.
Maintain talk with the duke.
Remain
That which is left; relic; remainder; - chiefly in the plural.
When this remain of horror has entirely subsided.
Maintain
To bear the expense of; to support; to keep up; to supply with what is needed.
Glad, by his labor, to maintain his life.
What maintains one vice would bring up two children.
Remain
That which is left of a human being after the life is gone; relics; a dead body.
Old warriors whose adored remainsIn weeping vaults her hallowed earth contains!
Maintain
To affirm; to support or defend by argument.
It is hard to maintain the truth, but much harder to be maintained by it.
Remain
The posthumous works or productions, esp. literary works, of one who is dead; as, Cecil's
Maintain
Keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g.,
Keep clean
Hold in place
She always held herself as a lady
The students keep me on my toes
Remain
Stay the same; remain in a certain state;
The dress remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it
Rest assured
Stay alone
He remained unmoved by her tears
The bad weather continued for another week
Maintain
Keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction;
We preserve these archeological findings
The old lady could not keep up the building
Children must be taught to conserve our national heritage
The museum curator conserved the ancient manuscripts
Remain
Continue in a place, position, or situation;
After graduation, she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser
Stay with me, please
Despite student protests, he remained Dean for another year
She continued as deputy mayor for another year
Maintain
Supply with necessities and support;
She alone sustained her family
The money will sustain our good cause
There's little to earn and many to keep
Remain
Be left; of persons, questions, problems, results, evidence, etc.;
There remains the question of who pulled the trigger
Carter remains the only President in recent history under whose Presidency the U.S. did not fight a war
Maintain
State categorically
Remain
Stay behind;
The smell stayed in the room
The hostility remained long after they made up
Maintain
Of power or authority
Maintain
Maintain for use and service;
I keep a car in the countryside
She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips
Maintain
Maintain by writing regular records;
Keep a diary
Maintain a record
Keep notes
Maintain
State or assert;
He maintained his innocence
Maintain
Support against an opponent;
The appellate court upheld the verdict
Maintain
Observe correctly or closely;
The pianist kept time with the metronome
Keep count
I cannot keep track of all my employees
Common Curiosities
Is maintaining always a physical action?
No, it can also be emotional, financial, or verbal, like maintaining a belief.
How does remain differ from stay?
Remain implies a more passive state without change, while stay can be more temporary and active.
Do both terms imply permanence?
Maintain suggests effort towards permanence, whereas remain implies a state of being that already exists.
What does it mean to maintain a relationship?
It involves putting in effort to keep the relationship strong, healthy, and ongoing.
What does it mean to maintain something?
It means to keep something in its current state, often requiring effort or resources.
Can remain be used to indicate persistence?
Yes, it often denotes continuing to exist in a state or condition without change.
Can something remain without any maintenance?
Yes, some things can remain in a state without active maintenance, especially in abstract senses.
Can a person remain in a feeling or emotion?
Yes, one can remain happy, sad, angry, etc., indicating a persistent emotional state.
Is maintenance only physical or can it be digital?
It can be both; for example, maintaining a website is a form of digital maintenance.
What does it mean to remain true to something?
It means to continue adhering to a belief, principle, or loyalty.
Does remaining require awareness?
Not necessarily; one can remain in a state without being fully aware of it.
Is maintaining something always good?
Not necessarily; it depends on what is being maintained and the context.
Can "remain" imply a lack of progress?
In some contexts, yes, especially if remaining in a state is seen as stagnation.
How do maintain and remain relate to time?
Maintain implies an effort over time, while remain denotes a state of being through time.
Can maintaining be involuntary?
Generally, it requires a conscious effort, making it mostly voluntary.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
