unwilling
[uhn-wil-ing]
- not willing; reluctant; loath; averse: an unwilling partner in the crime.
- opposed; offering resistance; stubborn or obstinate; refractory: an unwilling captive.
Show More
Origin of unwilling
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for unwillingness
Contemporary Examples
But an absence of niceties nor an unwillingness to conform is not a legitimate cause for impeachment.
His unwillingness to marry her and settle down has only increased her fervor.
But the price of bipartisanship in the Obama era at least has been an unwillingness until recently to openly oppose the president.
So the U.S. government is about to run out of money and may announce its unwillingness to meet legal debt obligations.
An unwillingness to process economic failure condemned it to a slower-than-normal recovery.
Historical Examples
My unwillingness to be driven from her presence determined me to stay.
Bardelys the MagnificentRafael Sabatini
The doctor shook his head; he understood the captain's unwillingness.
“That accounts for his unwillingness to talk about Africa,” went on Susan.
The StrollersFrederic S. Isham
He felt an unwillingness to close with her, to get it by force.
An Outcast of the IslandsJoseph Conrad
This is not in the least from unwillingness to allow freedom to others.
unwilling
- unfavourably inclined; reluctant
- performed, given, or said with reluctance
Show More
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 unwillingness
unwilling
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper