retiring vs preceding

retiring and preceding both are adjectives.

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

As adjectives, retiring and preceding are synonyms defined as:

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

Other synonyms of retiring include past.

retiring (adjective)	preceding (adjective)
not arrogant or presuming	existing or coming before
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