as in unwillingness
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something
the mice showed an odd reluctance to eat the cheese we had put out for them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reluctance
Even when told Wisconsin ranked 44th in public funding for its four-year universities and the UW System had recently closed some of its two-year campuses, survey respondents showed a reluctance to increase funding.
—
Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 2 July 2025
The negotiations over the spending plan reflect a reluctance from lawmakers to make sweeping cuts, choosing a wait-and-see approach in light of the state’s financial uncertainty.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
But that ambition, always highly dependent on the United States joining Israel militarily, has now run up against the reality of US reluctance to get drawn into yet another Mideast war.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 16 June 2025
In Europe, the reluctance was more ominous given the massive EV targets set for 2030.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 2 July 2025
The negotiations over the spending plan reflect a reluctance from lawmakers to make sweeping cuts, choosing a wait-and-see approach in light of the state’s financial uncertainty.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
But that ambition, always highly dependent on the United States joining Israel militarily, has now run up against the reality of US reluctance to get drawn into yet another Mideast war.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 16 June 2025
In Europe, the reluctance was more ominous given the massive EV targets set for 2030.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
-
This public mandate for bold climate action stands in sharp contrast to the political hesitancy now on display.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
-
While the #MeToo movement has set the stage for French society to listen when survivors of abuse come forward, there is still some hesitancy within families to accept what happened at Bétharram.—
Colette Davidson,
Christian Science Monitor,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
Take the two pages where Dyer writes about his father’s extreme reticence about his own past.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
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The more acute risk — and, sources say, the primary reason for Trump’s reticence to act against Powell — is the expectation that any move would immediately trigger a significant market sell-off.—
Phil Mattingly,
CNN Money,
11 July 2025
Noun
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Several major automakers are investing billions of dollars into American EV production despite the U.S. hesitance to adopt EVs.—
Charles Singh,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
-
Despite hesitance from some Republican senators, all of Trump’s nominees who have come for a vote on the floor have been confirmed, even his most contentious picks.—
Elizabeth Crisp,
The Hill,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Given today’s network of satellites and temperature sensors, when could scientists have first known, beyond a reasonable doubt, that increases in atmospheric CO2 from fossil fuel burning and land use change were altering our global climate?—
Ben Santer,
Scientific American,
4 July 2025
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Serena Peng, a Seattle resident visiting Tokyo, described having initial doubts after seeing online speculation but ultimately continuing with her trip.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Noun
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The author’s own disinclination toward literary experiment likely stemmed from a belief that the social demanded more moral attention than the psychological.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Its weakness is an intermittent lack of vulnerability and an occasional disinclination to leave all of that behind and pull out individual characters who have figured out that their travails flow from the difficulty of stopping American family life from turning into a Sam Shepard play.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Was there any hesitation about writing something that hits so close to home in terms of your real-life experiences within the reality TV community?—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
9 July 2025
-
Despite starting from a neutral position roughly three yards off his line, John shows no hesitation in extending himself nearly 10 yards to reach the edge of his penalty spot and claim the ball with authority.—
Matt Pyzdrowski,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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