unwilling

adjective

un·will·ing | \ ˌən-ˈwi-liŋ

Definition of unwilling

: not willing:

a : loath, reluctant was unwilling to learn

b : done or given reluctantly unwilling approval

c : offering opposition : obstinate an unwilling student

Other Words from unwilling Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about unwilling

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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

But Sessions stayed in the job, and at that point, Trump was unwilling to take the political risk of actually firing him (key Republican senators were urging him not to). — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "The many scandals of Trump’s new acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, explained," 14 Nov. 2018 But with British lawmakers unwilling to endorse the divorce agreement that May forged with the EU, preparations have begun to fill the 73 U.K. spots in the 751-seat European legislature. — Jill Lawless, The Seattle Times, "UK’s anti-EU Brexit Party launches EU election campaign," 13 Apr. 2019 The slights are pervasive, with black model stars continually confronted with hairstylists and makeup artists unwilling to adapt to the nuances of working with darker skin and textured hair. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Models on Why Representation Matters," 9 Apr. 2019 Many young Saudi men remain unwilling to work in the private economy, where they can be fired. — Karen Elliott House, WSJ, "Rising Oil Prices Are Bad News for Saudi Arabia," 25 Sep. 2018 Fellow seniors Jake Woycke and Nick Strader felt and played the same way – impassioned, relentless and unwilling to give up – as did juniors Zachary Moeller and Jacob Berkemeier, and really everyone who stepped on the floor for the Highlanders. — Adam Baum, Cincinnati.com, "Oak Hills completes wild comeback to beat Mason in double overtime," 16 Feb. 2018 The Mark Zuckerberg portrayed here is brilliant, driven, decent, hopelessly naive about human motivations and entirely unwilling to take warnings seriously. — Barton Swaim, WSJ, "Politics: The Government We ‘Like’," 22 Feb. 2019 These two technologies can’t be thought of as just training aids for serious cyclists, or workout gear for those unwilling to exercise in subzero temps. — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, "PM Approved: Kickr Smart Bike Trainer," 29 Jan. 2019 The Trump administration has weakened its leverage by appearing unwilling to counter Iran’s advances with military pressure. — Reuel Marc Gerecht, WSJ, "Tehran Counts on a Divided West," 12 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unwilling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.