Examples of reluctant in a Sentence
94% of the butterflies are females, and they jostle for the attention of the few males, who seem reluctant suitors.
—
Carl Zimmer, Science, 11 May 2001
When I missed five in a row and was reluctant to take the next shot or didn't really follow through, my teammates would yell, "Brick!"
—Bill Bradley, New York Times, 18 Dec. 1994
The man swore sullenly. He went over to a corner and slowly began to put on his coat. He took his hat and went out, with a dragging, reluctant step.
—Stephen Crane, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, 1893
The woman seemed desirous, yet reluctant, to speak, and answered, in low, mysterious tone.
—Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1852
We were reluctant to get involved.
He might agree but seems reluctant to admit it.
Carl Zimmer, Science, 11 May 2001
When I missed five in a row and was reluctant to take the next shot or didn't really follow through, my teammates would yell, "Brick!"
—Bill Bradley, New York Times, 18 Dec. 1994
The man swore sullenly. He went over to a corner and slowly began to put on his coat. He took his hat and went out, with a dragging, reluctant step.
—Stephen Crane, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, 1893
The woman seemed desirous, yet reluctant, to speak, and answered, in low, mysterious tone.
—Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1852
We were reluctant to get involved.
He might agree but seems reluctant to admit it.
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Biden's catastrophic performance fueled questions about his mental acuity and led, three weeks later, to his reluctant withdrawal as the Democratic candidate.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 30 May 2026
This favoritism is driven by legacy preferences, athletic recruitment and nonacademic ratings that reward expensive resume-building, yet elite universities remain reluctant to change these practices.
—Prasad Krishnamurthy, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Anger to acceptance Other customers, meanwhile, expressed a range of emotions on the spectrum of grief, from anger to depression to reluctant acceptance.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
Iran, which maintains that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes, has been reluctant to commit to giving up its enriched uranium stockpile, and instead said that its nuclear program will be up for discussion at a later point, not as part of the initial framework agreement.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctant
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Susan Page, USA Today, 30 May 2026
This favoritism is driven by legacy preferences, athletic recruitment and nonacademic ratings that reward expensive resume-building, yet elite universities remain reluctant to change these practices.
—Prasad Krishnamurthy, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Anger to acceptance Other customers, meanwhile, expressed a range of emotions on the spectrum of grief, from anger to depression to reluctant acceptance.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
Iran, which maintains that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes, has been reluctant to commit to giving up its enriched uranium stockpile, and instead said that its nuclear program will be up for discussion at a later point, not as part of the initial framework agreement.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctant
Cite this Entry
“Reluctant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctant. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reluctant
adjective
re·luc·tant
ri-ˈlək-tənt 
: showing doubt or unwillingness
reluctant to answer
reluctantly
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
