reluctant
Americanadjective
-
not eager; unwilling; disinclined
-
archaic offering resistance or opposition
Related Words
Reluctant, loath, averse describe disinclination toward something. Reluctant implies some sort of mental struggle, as between disinclination and sense of duty: reluctant to expel students. Loath describes extreme disinclination: loath to part from a friend. Averse, used with to and a noun or a gerund, describes a long-held dislike or unwillingness, though not a particularly strong feeling: averse to an idea; averse to getting up early.
Other Word Forms
- half-reluctant adjective
- reluctantly adverb
- unreluctant adjective
Etymology
Origin of reluctant
First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin reluctant- (stem of reluctāns ), present participle of reluctārī; reluct, -ant
Compare meaning
How does reluctant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
American dairy producers are continuing to expand the number of beef cattle they produce that are crossbred with dairy cows, but cattlemen have been reluctant thus far to grow their herds.
Finance chiefs say they are playing a leading role in their company’s AI transformation efforts, evaluating performance, pushing for productivity gains and clearly articulating the value to reluctant employees.
You may be more reluctant to challenge sharp practices or questionable decisions if your financial adviser is also your friend.
From MarketWatch
CoreWeave executives and advisers have privately indicated to other chip companies that they are reluctant to use non-Nvidia chips for fear of upsetting their benefactor, according to people who have heard the remarks.
If it squeezes corporate margins, businesses could be more reluctant to raise wages.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
