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

Many homeowners are stuck in 3% mortgage purgatory, unwilling to trade into a higher payment. —John Walkup, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

This option hasn’t panned out, either, because other states and tribes in the region have been unwilling to provide wolves to Colorado. —Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 22 Jan. 2026

So far, the government has been unwilling to release that information even to the companies building the projects. —Michael Copley, NPR, 21 Jan. 2026

Polk backed down, unwilling to flout the law or the role of Congress in his pursuit (two things that Trump, so far, has ignored in his grab for Greenland and his recent military action in Venezuela). —Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026

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