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

It has reinforced many countries’ natural disinclination to develop nuclear weapons, including among some that have the technical capacity to go that route if they wanted.

From Slate • Jul. 17, 2025

In a sense, that’s a deflection of the personal scrutiny involved in pop stardom — a move in keeping with Bryan’s general disinclination to fulfill the rituals of celebrity on any platform beyond his own.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 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

Indispos′edness, Indisposi′tion, state of being indisposed: disinclination: slight illness.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various