How to Use reluctant in a Sentence

reluctant

adjective
  • He might agree but seems reluctant to admit it.
  • We were reluctant to get involved.
  • Is the man reluctant to give up the job’s salary and perks?
    Tom Nolan, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2020
  • And the president has been reluctant in the past to sign it.
    Fox News, 25 Mar. 2018
  • Wilkins was reluctant to leave his team and go to the clinic.
    Jordan Gonsalves, Time, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Lawrence shared that the leak made her reluctant to do nude scenes in her films.
    Wandera Hussein, Billboard, 26 Feb. 2018
  • None were willing to go on the record, and all were reluctant to talk.
    Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 21 Aug. 2019
  • The poll results show why some on the court might be reluctant to take such a bold step.
    Scott Clement, William Bishop, Robert Barnes, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Nov. 2021
  • This makes me reluctant to wear shoes inside the house.
    The Editors, Outside Online, 12 Apr. 2020
  • The lack of clear rules for home sharing has made many people reluctant to take the next step and host.
    Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2018
  • Chase has shown itself in recent months to be among the most reluctant to do this.
    David Lazarus, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2021
  • The woman, who had her child in the car, at first was reluctant to go to the hospital.
    Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 7 June 2023
  • But many people who have been living on the streets are reluctant to make that first move.
    John Kelly, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023
  • Many locals are reluctant to speak on the record, but some are eager to do so.
    Michael Tracey, WSJ, 7 July 2020
  • Though the girls didn’t know it, their captors were reluctant to harm them.
    Drew Hinshaw, WSJ, 24 Dec. 2017
  • Dressed in jeans and leaning on the bleachers, Jeter is reluctant to take the court.
    Si.com Staff, SI.com, 25 June 2018
  • That makes the other people even more reluctant to share.
    Recode Staff, Recode, 13 July 2018
  • Lewis has never been reluctant to speak his mind, of course.
    baltimoresun.com, 10 Apr. 2018
  • The country has so far been reluctant to allow in large numbers of refugees.
    WSJ, 1 Nov. 2023
  • High praise from a player who at one point seemed reluctant to even give Oats and the new regime a chance.
    Rainer Sabin | Rsabin@al.com, al.com, 20 June 2019
  • Teams had begun to grow reluctant to ask more of their pitching prospects.
    Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 7 Oct. 2020
  • The judge also appeared reluctant to take a case away from a colleague.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2022
  • There were far fewer riders, and those who were still on the trains were reluctant to get too close.
    Kalia Richardson, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2022
  • Ghani has balked, reluctant to give up a key source of leverage in future talks.
    Nick Wadhams, Bloomberg.com, 5 May 2020
  • And it's left many teachers reluctant to return to the classroom.
    Christina Walker, CNN, 13 Aug. 2020
  • Price was reluctant to send them so far away, even though their friends were going.
    Page Leggett, charlotteobserver, 12 July 2018
  • Hu spoke with the two men briefly and initially appeared reluctant to leave.
    Simone McCarthy, CNN, 22 Oct. 2022
  • But Space Force leaders may be reluctant to take on the task.
    Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 13 Aug. 2021
  • George was reluctant to marry his daughters off to foreign princes and send them to live abroad.
    Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2023
  • Cons: Too reluctant to throw the ball downfield and in traffic.
    USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reluctant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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