reluctant

[ri-luhk-tuhnt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reluctant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

unwilling; disinclined: a reluctant candidate.

struggling in opposition.

Origin of reluctant

1655–65; < Latin reluctant- (stem of reluctāns), present participle of reluctārī. See reluct, -ant

Related formsre·luc·tant·ly, adverbhalf-re·luc·tant, adjectivehalf-re·luc·tant·ly, adverbun·re·luc·tant, adjectiveun·re·luc·tant·ly, adverb

Can be confusedreluctant reticent (see synonym study at the current entry)reticent reluctant

Synonyms for reluctant

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reluctant ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Antonyms for reluctant

1. willing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for reluctantly

warily, hesitantly, cautiously, unwillingly, carefully, involuntarily, grudgingly, unenthusiastically

Examples from the Web for reluctantly

Contemporary Examples of reluctantly

In contrast to so many of those who were drafted, the players did not enter the Vietnam War reluctantly.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down
Nicolaus Mills
December 13, 2014
She reluctantly agreed to make her grams happy, and participated in the Miss Universe Canada pageant, placing in the top 15.
The Making of Kiesza: From Navy Sharpshooter to Beauty Queen to Pop Diva
Marlow Stern
October 20, 2014
He has reluctantly reconnected with a brother we didn't even know he had in Season 1.
Michael Sheen’s Masterful Study of Sex and Insecurity
Caryn James
September 28, 2014
Yatsenyuk has announced that his party will now go into the elections, reluctantly, on a list separate from Poroshenko's.
Ukraine’s President Wowed Congress, But His Party Has a Dark Side
Anna Nemtsova
September 19, 2014
He is convinced that, in the end, economic reasoning will force Scots to reluctantly reject independence.
Anarchy for the U.K.? British Leaders Panicking Over Scottish Vote for Independence
Nico Hines
September 10, 2014

Historical Examples of reluctantly

Slowly and reluctantly, the sailors took their places, for Robert was a favorite with them.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
The youth sat down as directed, but reluctantly and with diffidence.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
Reluctantly, apathetically, the Leopard Woman's men got to their feet.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
"If you're so set on it, I'll see about your position this afternoon," conceded Martin reluctantly.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
Slowly and reluctantly I yielded to the fascinations of Florence Lascelles.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for reluctantly

reluctant

adjective

not eager; unwilling; disinclined

archaic offering resistance or opposition

Derived Formsreluctantly, adverb

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for reluctantly

reluctant

adj.

"unwilling," 1660s, from Latin reluctantem (nominative reluctans), present participle of reluctari (see reluctance). Related: Reluctantly. Cf. Spanish reluchante, Italian riluttante.