reluctant

American  

[ri-luhk-tuhnt] / rɪˈlʌk tənt /

adjective

1. unwilling; disinclined.

   a reluctant candidate.

   Antonyms:

   willing

2. struggling in opposition.

---

reluctant British  

/ rɪˈlʌktənt /

adjective

1. not eager; unwilling; disinclined

2. 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:

• reticent vs. reluctant

Example Sentences

Economic and trade uncertainty made some companies more reluctant to add workers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Luxury brands have been understandably reluctant to get involved with the messy business of selling secondhand goods.

From The Wall Street Journal

Both Kyiv and Moscow have regularly published estimates of the other side's losses but they have been reluctant to detail their own.

From BBC

Major investors and tenants also remain reluctant to entrust multibillion-dollar decisions to unproven platforms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Any hiccup in that flywheel—like a report about reluctant lenders—can send the stock plunging.

From Barron's

Related Words

• afraid
• averse
• cautious
• circumspect
• hesitant
• loath
• shy
• slow
• squeamish
• uncertain
• wary