reluctantly

adverb

re·​luc·​tant·​ly ri-ˈlək-tənt-lē 

: in a reluctant manner : with aversion or hesitation

The quiet resolution in his voice penetrated her racing thoughts. Reluctantly she gave him a corner of her attention.

—Elizabeth George Speare

He is about to release 'Thriller,' and today he's agreed, reluctantly, to sit for the Rolling Stone cover.

—Gerri Hirshey

Kirsti had gone to bed reluctantly, complaining that she wanted to stay up with the others, that she was grownup enough, … that it wasn't fair.

—Lois Lowry

Examples of reluctantly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Upper Basin states only reluctantly agreed to the Flaming Gorge drawdown, which could put many boat ramps out of action at the popular tourist destination and also hurt local fish populations. —The Week Us, TheWeek, 8 June 2026

But when tourists start turning up dead, he’s reluctantly drawn back into detective work. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 June 2026

Ulloa still wasn’t happy, so eventually Maradona reluctantly threaded the flag back onto the pole. —Michael Cox, New York Times, 3 June 2026

Facing more than 150 littering counts, Brokaw appealed the original amount, asking for a reduction, which Judge Tom Flaherty agreed to, albeit reluctantly. —Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above