reluctance
noun
re·luc·tance
ri-ˈlək-tən(t)s 
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
Examples of reluctance in a Sentence
the mice showed an odd reluctance to eat the cheese we had put out for them
Recent Examples on the Web
However, Starbucks has struggled in recent years, along with other Western companies that have lost ground to local rivals amid rising nationalism and reluctance to pay premiums for foreign brands.
—
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Recognising those market values would boost Barcelona’s financial standing but likely diminish their ability to compete — and a reluctance to sell stars was part of what drove them down the palancas route in the first place.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Sometimes the case for war’s inevitability is couched in expressions of rue and reluctance.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Davis is one prong of the right wing push to overturn Obergefell, and is currently asking the Supreme Court to revisit that decision, though Justices Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett have seemingly expressed some reluctance to do so.
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
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Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Recognising those market values would boost Barcelona’s financial standing but likely diminish their ability to compete — and a reluctance to sell stars was part of what drove them down the palancas route in the first place.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Sometimes the case for war’s inevitability is couched in expressions of rue and reluctance.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Davis is one prong of the right wing push to overturn Obergefell, and is currently asking the Supreme Court to revisit that decision, though Justices Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett have seemingly expressed some reluctance to do so.
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctance. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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reluctance
noun
re·luc·tance
ri-ˈlək-tən(t)s
: the quality or state of being reluctant
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