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
Elizabeth George SpeareHe is about to release 'Thriller,' and today he's agreed, reluctantly, to sit for the Rolling Stone cover.—Gerri Hirshey
Gerri HirsheyKirsti 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
Lois LowryExamples of reluctantly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s primarily told in flashback from present-day, where Poppy is reluctantly reunited with Alex at his brother’s wedding in Barcelona after an estrangement.
—Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2026
Take the scene in which Father Andrew, the town priest, reluctantly helps Louise sign up for the Inner Beauty Pageant.
—Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
In both cases, families reluctantly put their elderly mothers with dementia into nursing homes.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
The conceit is probably most similar to Mark Monroe’s Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose, a four-part HBO film that the baseball career hits leader and reluctantly admitted degenerate gambler hoped would reopen establishment doors and set him up for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Jan. 2026
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Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2026
Take the scene in which Father Andrew, the town priest, reluctantly helps Louise sign up for the Inner Beauty Pageant.
—Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
In both cases, families reluctantly put their elderly mothers with dementia into nursing homes.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
The conceit is probably most similar to Mark Monroe’s Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose, a four-part HBO film that the baseball career hits leader and reluctantly admitted degenerate gambler hoped would reopen establishment doors and set him up for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctantly
Cite this Entry
“Reluctantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctantly. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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