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Definition of reluctance
1 : the quality or state of being reluctant
2 : the opposition offered in a magnetic circuit to magnetic flux; specifically : the ratio of the magnetic potential difference to the corresponding flux
From the M-W Editors
Examples of reluctance in a Sentence
the mice showed an odd reluctance to eat the cheese we had put out for them
Recent Examples of reluctance from the Web
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This reluctance may have hurt her in the general election three days later.
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But Trump has expressed growing irritation at Beijing's reluctance to tighten the screw on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.
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But officials say frustration has grown in the White House with China's reluctance to tighten the screws on Pyongyang as much as Washington would have liked.
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Moran's reluctance largely centers on how the bill would cut back assistance to rural hospitals (many of which depend on Medicaid and a number of other Obamacare public health provisions).
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While some observers blame the lengthy list of crises around the globe for the reluctance to pay for cholera clean up, others blame Haiti fatigue.
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That reluctance to dig deeper is what doomed the Jones segment.
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That reluctance to dig deeper is what doomed the Jones segment.
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An administration official disputed that there was reluctance to defend Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reluctance'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of reluctance
1629
RELUCTANCE Defined for Kids
reluctance
playDefinition of reluctance for Students
: the quality or state of showing doubt or unwillingness
Learn More about reluctance
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reluctance Spanish Central: Translation of reluctance Nglish: Translation of reluctance for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of reluctance for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about reluctance
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