reluctant

adjective

re·​luc·​tant ri-ˈlək-tənt How to pronounce reluctant (audio)
Synonyms of reluctant
: feeling or showing aversion, hesitation, or unwillingness
reluctant to get involved
also : having or assuming a specified role unwillingly
a reluctant hero

Synonyms of reluctant

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disinclined, hesitant, reluctant, loath, averse mean lacking the will or desire to do something indicated.

disinclined implies lack of taste for or inclination.

disinclined to move again
disinclined for reading

hesitant implies a holding back especially through fear or uncertainty.

hesitant about asking for a date

reluctant implies a holding back through unwillingness.

a reluctant witness

loath implies hesitancy because of conflict with one's opinions, predilections, or liking.

seems loath to trust anyone

averse implies a holding back from or avoiding because of distaste or repugnance.

averse to hard work
not averse to an occasional drink

Examples of reluctant in a Sentence

94% of the butterflies are females, and they jostle for the attention of the few males, who seem reluctant suitors. —Carl Zimmer, Science, 11 May 2001
When I missed five in a row and was reluctant to take the next shot or didn't really follow through, my teammates would yell, "Brick!" —Bill Bradley, New York Times, 18 Dec. 1994
The man swore sullenly. He went over to a corner and slowly began to put on his coat. He took his hat and went out, with a dragging, reluctant step. —Stephen Crane, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, 1893
The woman seemed desirous, yet reluctant, to speak, and answered, in low, mysterious tone. —Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1852
We were reluctant to get involved. He might agree but seems reluctant to admit it.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That uncertainty makes clinicians reluctant to treat positive results, and reluctant to order the test in the first place. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026 In the post-George Floyd era, some young adults have been reluctant to become police officers compared to the days when departments were flooded with applications from eager jobseekers. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026 Day told the Herald that Fencebridge has been operating in Haiti for four years but was reluctant to offer details about that work. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 Yet many of Washington’s traditional partners were reluctant to associate themselves with the campaign, and some denied the United States specific forms of military access, at least for a time. — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reluctant

Word History

Etymology

Latin reluctant-, reluctans, present participle of reluctari to struggle against, from re- + luctari to struggle

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reluctant was in 1638

Rhymes for reluctant

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Browse Nearby Words

reluctancy
reluctant
reluctant dragon
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Cite this Entry

“Reluctant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctant. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

reluctant

adjective
re·​luc·​tant ri-ˈlək-tənt How to pronounce reluctant (audio)
: showing doubt or unwillingness
reluctant to answer
reluctantly adverb
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