unwilling

adjective

un·​will·​ing ˌən-ˈwi-liŋ 

: not willing:

a

: loath, reluctant

was unwilling to learn

b

: done or given reluctantly

unwilling approval

c

: offering opposition : obstinate

an unwilling student

unwillingly

ˌən-ˈwi-liŋ-lē 

adverb

unwillingness noun

Synonyms of unwilling

• forced
• spontaneous
• accidental
• coerced

Examples of unwilling in a Sentence

He was an unwilling participant in the demonstration.

unwilling contributions from city employees who felt pressured to do so

Recent Examples on the Web

Snyder, according to multiple people close to the World Cup bid, seemed unwilling to spend millions of dollars on improvements — some of them permanent, some of them temporary and FIFA-mandated — to a stadium that was likely near the end of its shelf life. —Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025

Magill, in response to a question from the New York Republican Elise Stefanik, seemed unwilling to say that a call for the genocide of the Jewish people would unambiguously violate her university’s code of conduct. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

The source said Russia was still unwilling to discuss any form of ceasefire and Ukraine is not willing to cede territory. —Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2025

The United Kingdom reportedly stopped sharing intelligence for these missions, unwilling to be complicit in acts that violate international law. —Jon Duffy, Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unwilling

• backfilling
• distilling
• fulfilling
• infilling
• instilling
• refilling
• sawmilling
• billing
• chilling
• drilling
• filling
• grilling

Kids Definition

unwilling

adjective

un·​will·​ing ˌən-ˈwil-iŋ 

ˈən-

: not willing

unwillingly adverb

unwillingness noun