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definitions

unwilling

[uhn-wil-ing]
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adjective

not willing; reluctant; loath; averse: an unwilling partner in the crime.
opposed; offering resistance; stubborn or obstinate; refractory: an unwilling captive.

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RELATED WORDS

forced, afraid, evasive, unenthusiastic, resistant, loath, averse, reluctant, compelled, against, backward, contrary, disinclined, hesitating, indisposed, involuntary, laggard, malcontent, opposed, recalcitrant

Nearby words

  1. unwell,
  2. unwept,
  3. unwholesome,
  4. unwieldy,
  5. unwilled,
  6. unwincing,
  7. unwind,
  8. unwinking,
  9. unwinnable,
  10. unwired

Origin of unwilling

before 900; Old English unwillende (not recorded in ME); see un-1, willing
Related formsun·will·ing·ly, adverbun·will·ing·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unwilling

British Dictionary definitions for unwilling

unwilling

adjective

unfavourably inclined; reluctant
performed, given, or said with reluctance
Derived Formsunwillingly, adverbunwillingness, noun
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 unwilling

unwilling

adj.

Old English unwillende, from un- (1) "not" + willing. Re-formed 16c. Related: Unwillingly; unwillingness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper