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

And now, many of them are either sitting elections out or reluctantly voting Republican. —MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025

Conrad, who secretly stayed in Cousins, reluctantly agrees to be Conrad’s co-best man after seeing how upset Belly is. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 30 July 2025

House Republicans jammed Senate Democrats in March with a partisan funding bill, which Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) reluctantly voted for to avoid a shutdown. —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 28 July 2025

Washington initially turned down a salary, reluctantly accepted it after pressure and made clear his discomfort with profiting from office. —Dave Winsborough, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above