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

• 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

In The Three Amigos, a trio of American actors who have played heroic gunslingers in a series of popular silent films, are accidentally hired by the villagers of Santa Poco to protect them from the villainous bandit leader, El Guapo, who kidnaps a beautiful villager to be his unwilling bride. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

The church’s attorneys, for their part, said in their latest filing that the victims’ side appears unwilling to negotiate. —Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025

Jam must reckon with the stories she’s been told of the past and present and discover remaining monstrosities that the adults are unable, or unwilling, to see. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025

In the owner's TikTok video, her feline is seen curled up on the last remaining piece of her cat tree, unwilling to let go. —Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 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