reluctant

[ ri-luhk-tuhnt ]

/ rɪˈlʌk tənt /

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See synonyms for reluctant on Thesaurus.com

adjective

unwilling; disinclined: a reluctant candidate.

struggling in opposition.

OPPOSITES FOR reluctant

1 willing.

See antonyms for reluctant on Thesaurus.com

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of reluctant

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin reluctant- (stem of reluctāns ), present participle of reluctārī; see reluct, -ant

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

re·luc·tant·ly, adverbhalf-re·luc·tant, adjectiveun·re·luc·tant, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH reluctant

reluctant , reticent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use reluctant in a sentence

We had restrictions on the number of people we could have in a building, but we really never reached those because people were reluctant.
Plight at the Museum|Jen Trolio|November 20, 2020|Vox
It’s not something that we hide from or are reluctant to talk about.
Golf bet big on legalized sports gambling. It’s paying off.|Rick Maese|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
The Democratic Party has been reluctant to invest resources in the state’s political infrastructure, preferring instead to invest dollars in courting likely voters in the Midwest, he said.
Democrats lose ground with Latino voters in Florida and Texas, underscoring outreach missteps|Jose Del Real, Arelis Hernández|November 5, 2020|Washington Post
Homeless people tend not to have permanent addresses, and organizations that might have received checks for them were reluctant to do so because of liability issues.
Millions Still Haven’t Gotten Stimulus Checks, Including Many Who Need Them Most|by Lydia DePillis|October 30, 2020|ProPublica

By all accounts, Pelosi and Mnuchin had worked well together and appeared reluctant to stop talking.
Pelosi and Mnuchin, once Washington’s Odd Couple, publicly disavow economic relief talks - and each other|Erica Werner|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Emily, on her part, was disposed to yield an unreluctant obedience, and therefore it was not difficult to restrain her.
Caleb Williams|William Godwin
As he spoke he placed some money in her unreluctant hand, and returned on his way home.
The Evil Eye; Or, The Black Spector|William Carleton
Some go down to it unreluctant, and meet it, like the river, not without nobility.
Letters from America|Rupert Brooke
Bunce knew the people well, and exhibited his most unreluctant manner.
Guy Rivers: A Tale of Georgia|William Gilmore Simms
He unveils the mysteries of iniquity with a fearless and by no means an unreluctant hand.
The College, the Market, and the Court|Caroline H. Dall

British Dictionary definitions for reluctant

reluctant

/ (rɪˈlʌktənt) /

adjective

not eager; unwilling; disinclined

archaic offering resistance or opposition

Derived forms of reluctant

reluctantly, 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

reluctant

OPPOSITES FOR reluctant

Origin of reluctant

synonym study for reluctant

OTHER WORDS FROM reluctant

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH reluctant

Words related to reluctant

How to use reluctant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for reluctant

Derived forms of reluctant

Word Origin for reluctant