reluctance
Americannoun
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unwillingness; disinclination.
reluctance to speak in public.
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Electricity. the resistance to magnetic flux offered by a magnetic circuit, determined by the permeability and arrangement of the materials of the circuit.
noun
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lack of eagerness or willingness; disinclination
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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
Etymology
Origin of reluctance
First recorded in 1635–45; reluct(ant) + -ance
Explanation
Reluctance means "unwillingness." Your reluctance to travel on an airplane would be understandable if you glimpsed the pilot and copilot wearing party hats and blowing noisemakers. If you'd rather not do something, you feel a sense of reluctance about it. You pause for a moment, maybe to consider whether you should really go through with it, or just to enjoy the last moment before it happens. The word comes from the Latin reluctari, or to struggle against. There's always a struggle when reluctance is present, in that you feel pressure to do something or in not agreeing right away, someone is going to be disappointed.
Vocabulary lists containing reluctance
Coraline
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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Stargirl
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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.
As the children of Windisch’s Gen X clients get older and gain more financial autonomy, she’s noticed they tend to have a sense of reluctance or nervousness around managing their money.
From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026
Scott Parker, Vincent Kompany, and Russell Martin have also persisted with this philosophy in the Premier League - ultimately failing because of player quality and a reluctance to change approach.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
This reluctance to respond publicly is understandable, but it’s also depriving us of a critical perspective from the very people this affects.
From Slate • May 9, 2026
But by signaling a deep reluctance to restart major military operations, he encouraged the Iranians to hold out for better terms.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
But she handed the bow back to him with some reluctance.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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.
