reluctantly
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reluctantly
Explanation
Reluctantly means "with hesitation, doubt or dread." You might reluctantly walk into the dentist's office for your appointment, knowing that you will soon feel the pain of a root canal. Ouch! The adverb reluctantly comes from the root word reluctant, meaning "unwilling, disinclined." When you do something reluctantly, you don't really want to do it. For example, if you answer a question reluctantly, you will first stall or try to change the subject. If your friend reluctantly agreed to help you move to your new house, you know she felt obligated to say "yes." Better buy her dinner, at the very least.
Vocabulary lists containing reluctantly
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Number the Stars
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Nothing But the Truth
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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.
And I was like, Oh, right, the heart stops reluctantly.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
Stevie calls a heartbroken Gretta to the stage to perform, and she reluctantly complies before giving up in embarrassment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
In June, he said the airline would "reluctantly" stop charging parents to sit next to children after a watchdog investigation was opened, but insisted its previous policy complied with laws.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
He’s still at it, figuratively speaking: In the book he’s writing, “Pünd’s Last Case,” Atticus knows he’s dying, retreats to the island of Corfu and is drawn reluctantly into yet another murder investigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Sometimes, he’d sit in the theater seats after a game, and literally hundreds of people would hand their programs to him for his reluctantly scrawled signature.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
