reluctance
Americannoun
-
unwillingness; disinclination.
reluctance to speak in public.
-
Electricity. the resistance to magnetic flux offered by a magnetic circuit, determined by the permeability and arrangement of the materials of the circuit.
noun
-
lack of eagerness or willingness; disinclination
-
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
Etymology
Origin of reluctance
First recorded in 1635–45; reluct(ant) + -ance
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.
A reluctance of foreign asset allocators to devote resources on U.S. equities then, no doubt, informs Papic’s highest conviction bet: European equities.
From MarketWatch
Did you have any reluctance to do this for the reason that you were connecting to it so strongly?
From Los Angeles Times
The reluctance to use HRT is the result of a controversial 2002 study that identified an elevated risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
From MarketWatch
The housing market enters 2026 hopeful for a fresh start after a 2025 that was likely the worst in roughly three decades, brought about by high buying costs and consumer reluctance to make big purchases.
From Barron's
The fear that using AI will “rot the human brain” is akin to the initial reluctance to allow graphing calculators in math classes, with teachers preferring graph paper instead.
From MarketWatch
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.
