preceding vs retiring

preceding and retiring both are adjectives.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
preceding	No	Yes	No	No
retiring	No	Yes	No	No

As adjectives, preceding and retiring are synonyms defined as:

preceding and retiring: of a person who has held and relinquished a position or office

Other synonyms of preceding include past.

preceding (adjective)	retiring (adjective)
existing or coming before	not arrogant or presuming
of a person who has held and relinquished a position or office	of a person who has held and relinquished a position or office
	reluctant to draw attention to yourself