reluctant
[ ri-luhk-tuhnt ]
/ rɪˈlʌk tənt /
adjective
unwilling; disinclined: a reluctant candidate.
struggling in opposition.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
slow, uncertain, hesitant, wary, shy, loath, cautious, circumspect, averse, squeamish, afraid, backward, calculating, chary, diffident, discouraged, disinclined, hesitating, indisposed, involuntary
Nearby words
- relocation costs,
- relocator,
- relucent,
- reluct,
- reluctance,
- reluctate,
- reluctivity,
- relume,
- relumine,
- rely
Origin of reluctant
SYNONYMS FOR reluctant
1. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for reluctant
reluctant
/ (rɪˈlʌktənt) /
adjective
not eager; unwilling; disinclined
archaic offering resistance or opposition
Word Origin for reluctant
C17: from Latin reluctārī to resist; see reluct
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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reluctant
"unwilling," 1660s, from Latin reluctantem (nominative reluctans), present participle of reluctari (see reluctance). Related: Reluctantly. Cf. Spanish reluchante, Italian riluttante.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper