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; see reluct, -ant
Compare meaning
How does reluctant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If the adjective reluctant applies to you, it means that you are undergoing some inner struggle and are unwilling or unable to decide. The word reluctant comes from the Latin reluctantem, which means "to struggle against." These days reluctant means "unwilling." If you’re reluctant to dance to a terrible song, you’re unwilling to whirl and twirl, and you might even have to struggle against your friends who try to get you on the dance floor. You might offer them a reluctant smile instead (and hope it doesn’t look like a grimace).
Vocabulary lists containing reluctant
List 3
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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.
An alternative is that civil servants were reluctant to raise the alarm about Mr. Mandelson because Mr. Starmer already had announced the appointment and withdrawing it would have been embarrassing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Vogue put Streep on its May cover, dressed as Miranda, seated next to Anna Wintour — once reluctant to accept being the inspiration for the character, but now embracing it to sell magazines.
From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026
Not all the identified fathers have been reluctant to engage.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
Yawger said he is “certain there’s going to be elements inside Hezbollah who are reluctant to give up the fight,” so it will be important to see whether those voices become more prominent.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026
Board of Education, civil rights activists used direct-action tactics in an effort to force reluctant Southern states to desegregate public facilities.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
