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

The Houthis, still formally in a truce with Riyadh, appeared unwilling to aid their Iranian partners. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026

But Spurs’ creativity problem is such that Maddison and Kudus remain important members of the squad, even while De Zerbi is unwilling or unable to pick them in the starting XI. — Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2026

With Musk unwilling to sit for an interview, Gibney and his team came up with a work-around. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Or were certain companies unwilling to take on the incendiary film due to their increasingly direct connections to Big Tech? — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 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