reluctant
adjective
re·luc·tant
ri-ˈlək-tənt 
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
Officials have been unable to agree on how to design the insurance scheme because of concerns about sharing risk across countries of different credit quality and banking systems; Germany, among other countries, has been reluctant to assume the risks of other countries’ potentially bad loans.
—Douglas Rediker, Foreign Affairs, 17 Dec. 2025
The DBacks might be reluctant to go long-term with a hitter of that age, but the Burnes contract demonstrated their willingness to be creative.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
Such stories also reveal how reluctant mainstream journalism can be when confronted with power.
—Kate Kenny, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
The bickering survivors of the Canterbury, led by reluctant captain Jim Holden (Steven Strait), become an unlikely band of freedom fighters/kingmakers after commandeering a Martian warship and rebranding it as the Rocinante (named after Don Quixote's horse).
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctant
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Douglas Rediker, Foreign Affairs, 17 Dec. 2025
The DBacks might be reluctant to go long-term with a hitter of that age, but the Burnes contract demonstrated their willingness to be creative.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
Such stories also reveal how reluctant mainstream journalism can be when confronted with power.
—Kate Kenny, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
The bickering survivors of the Canterbury, led by reluctant captain Jim Holden (Steven Strait), become an unlikely band of freedom fighters/kingmakers after commandeering a Martian warship and rebranding it as the Rocinante (named after Don Quixote's horse).
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctant
Cite this Entry
“Reluctant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctant. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reluctant
adjective
re·luc·tant
ri-ˈlək-tənt
: showing doubt or unwillingness
reluctant to answer
reluctantly
adverb
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