reluctantly
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
- half-reluctantly adverb
- unreluctantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of reluctantly
Explanation
Reluctantly means "with hesitation, doubt or dread." You might reluctantly walk into the dentist's office for your appointment, knowing that you will soon feel the pain of a root canal. Ouch! The adverb reluctantly comes from the root word reluctant, meaning "unwilling, disinclined." When you do something reluctantly, you don't really want to do it. For example, if you answer a question reluctantly, you will first stall or try to change the subject. If your friend reluctantly agreed to help you move to your new house, you know she felt obligated to say "yes." Better buy her dinner, at the very least.
Vocabulary lists containing reluctantly
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Number the Stars
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Nothing But the Truth
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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.
She said she had reluctantly gotten into his car.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
It took until 2019, a year before the company went public, for Karp to — reluctantly — add a sales team to the company.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi reluctantly went along with the plan, dubbed Operation Ajax, though he fled town before its Aug. 15, 1953, launch.
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
In 1936 Kertész reluctantly moved to New York.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Kat and Paris both looked at Rio, who reluctantly raised a finger.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
