reluctance

Sometimes re·luc·tan·cy

[ri-luhk-tuhns]

noun

1. unwillingness; disinclination.

   reluctance to speak in public.

2. Electricity.,  the resistance to magnetic flux offered by a magnetic circuit, determined by the permeability and arrangement of the materials of the circuit.

reluctance

/ rɪˈlʌktəns /

noun

1. lack of eagerness or willingness; disinclination

2. physics a measure of the resistance of a closed magnetic circuit to a magnetic flux, equal to the ratio of the magnetomotive force to the magnetic flux

Other Word Forms

• prereluctance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reluctance¹

First recorded in 1635–45; reluct(ant) + -ance

Example Sentences

That reluctance has contributed to low rates of economic growth in the U.K.

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An investigator with the terrorism unit revealed a widespread reluctance among his colleagues to proceed with the charges.

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"It's not that I don't understand where it's going. We understand that. But there is absolutely a reluctance to look the future in the face for now."

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Routledge overcame her initial reluctance to perform his scripts and excelled as A Woman of No Importance and A Lady of Letters.

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With all that in mind, it is understandable Glasner has, at best, shown a reluctance to commit.

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Related Words

• hesitancy 
• hesitation 
• objection 
• unwillingness www.thesaurus.com