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

• coerced
• forced
• involuntary
• unintended
• unintentional
• will-less

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

This spring a jury determined that former Kansas City Manager Brian Platt sidelined the city’s communications directors for being unwilling to stretch the truth. —Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2025

Yet, this was a classic case of a kneejerk reaction from WWE fans who were unwilling to let the story play out. —Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

After that, labor leaders were unwilling to accept new terms Polis sought to introduce — namely, that organized labor and Democratic lawmakers consider cutting restaurant workers’ tipped minimum wages in some places or discuss expanding charter schools. —Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 9 May 2025

The federal law was enacted in 1878 following the Civil War, when former Confederate states were either unwilling or unable to enforce civil laws. —Juliana Kim, NPR, 6 May 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