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

What resulted was a midterm repudiation of Republicans that, as election night wore on, some in the White House were unwilling to own. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

With Beijing unwilling to address weak consumption, exports now fuel more than half of the country’s growth, according to Rhodium’s numbers, making access to Western markets China’s economic Achilles’ heel. — Theodore Bunzel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2026

There seemed to be no dimension of the project’s context that Judd was unwilling to take seriously. — Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

What the law can do Assuming there is no forgery of documents with an unwitting and unwilling spoiler candidate, there is little the law can do. — Drew Kurlowski, The Conversation, 30 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