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

Planning commissioners — some seemingly reluctantly — backed the plan and advanced it to the City Council, which will have the final say on Costco’s request. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026

Jurassic Park stars Neill as Alan Grant, a renowned paleontologist who reluctantly agrees to visit the eponymous theme park created by wealthy industrialist John Hammond (Richard Attenborough). — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026

Gosling portrays Ryland Grace, a middle-grade teacher and molecular biologist who reluctantly gets recruited for a desperate deep space mission to try and solve a cosmic conundrum that's causing our sun to slowly dim. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 7 July 2026

Pushing a call button to summon help often is done reluctantly, according to state ombudsmen. — Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 5 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above