reluctant

[ ri-luhk-tuhnt ]

/ rɪˈlʌk tənt /

adjective

unwilling; disinclined: a reluctant candidate.

struggling in opposition.

Nearby words

Origin of reluctant

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

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.

ANTONYMS FOR reluctant

1. willing.

Related forms

re·luc·tant·ly, adverbhalf-re·luc·tant, adjectivehalf-re·luc·tant·ly, adverbun·re·luc·tant, adjective

un·re·luc·tant·ly, adverb

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

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

Examples from the Web for unreluctant

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
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
Emily, on her part, was disposed to yield an unreluctant obedience, and therefore it was not difficult to restrain her.
Caleb Williams|William Godwin
Bunce knew the people well, and exhibited his most unreluctant manner.
Guy Rivers: A Tale of Georgia|William Gilmore Simms

A man sprang after her and caught her, unreluctant, in his arms.
Marjorie|Justin Huntly McCarthy

British Dictionary definitions for unreluctant

reluctant

/ (rɪˈlʌktənt) /

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 unreluctant

reluctant

adj.

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