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

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig reluctantly agreed to postpone games until the 17th. — Filip Bondy, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026

Atletico Madrid blocked the move but were reluctantly open to selling him abroad as an alternative, given the forward’s obvious desire to leave. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

With John reluctantly pulled into one of his strangest puzzles yet, the race is on for the Taylors to solve the crime. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Talwani, nominated to the bench by former President Obama, reluctantly removed the second injunction shortly after. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above