disinclination

American  

[dis-in-kluh-ney-shuhn, dis-in-] / dɪsˌɪn kləˈneɪ ʃən, ˌdɪs ɪn- /

noun

1. the absence of inclination; reluctance; unwillingness.

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Etymology

Origin of disinclination

First recorded in 1640–50; dis- ¹ + inclination

Explanation

If anyone has ever told you to do something you didn’t want to do, you’ve felt a disinclination, a doubt about participating. Having a disinclination means you’re just not into it, so you hesitate. In Herman Melville’s short novel “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” when anyone asks Bartleby for a favor, he always replies, “I would prefer not to.” That’s an example of a disinclination — the feeling that there are other things you’d rather be doing. If someone tells you to eat a lightbulb, you might feel a disinclination to do that, and for good reason. The Latin roots of the word roughly translate to “unable to bend,” which describes your unwilling disinclination quite well.

Example Sentences

His posture toward Ukraine weekly demonstrates that disinclination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Cui said that disinclination is partly because high existing household savings would necessitate a cash infusion of hundreds of billions of dollars to make a notable impact.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2024

With his permanent grimace and disinclination to discuss much of anything beyond play schemes and player development, Saban was almost the antithesis of camera-ready.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2024

Inconsistent as "Picard" could be, it handles its hero's disillusionment with Starfleet's disinclination to take responsibility for massive moral failings, and his own, quite capably.

From Salon • Jun. 23, 2023

A more potent cause towards disinclination for the undertaking was her complete ignorance of the effect of such a disclosure to Ralph.

From A Singular Metamorphosis by Skiles, May Evelyn