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reluctant
[ ri-luhk-tuhnt ]
/ rÉŖĖlŹk tÉnt /
See the most commonly confused word associated with reticent
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
unwilling; disinclined: a reluctant candidate.
struggling in opposition.
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Origin of reluctant
synonym study 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.
OTHER WORDS FROM reluctant
reĀ·lucĀ·tantĀ·ly, adverbhalf-reĀ·lucĀ·tant, adjectiveunĀ·reĀ·lucĀ·tant, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH reluctant
reluctant , reticentWords nearby reluctant
relocator, rel. pron., relucent, reluct, reluctance, reluctant, reluctantly, reluctate, reluctivity, relume, relumine
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use reluctant in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for reluctant
reluctant
/ (rÉŖĖlŹktÉnt) /
adjective
not eager; unwilling; disinclined
archaic offering resistance or opposition
Derived forms of reluctant
reluctantly, adverbWord Origin for reluctant
C17: from Latin reluctÄrÄ« to resist; see reluct
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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