reluctance

noun

ri-ˈlək-tən(t)s How to pronounce reluctance (audio)
Definition of reluctancenext
as in unwillingness
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something the mice showed an odd reluctance to eat the cheese we had put out for them

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reluctance Apple has outperformed the market as investors have rewarded its reluctance to spend heavily on capital expenditures for AI, preferring to rent capacity instead of building its own. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 27 July 2026 In a seller’s market, however, he might be constrained by a dearth of prospect capital and some reluctance to trade from the back of his big-league bullpen. — Dennis Lin, New York Times, 26 July 2026 In 2014, law scholar Eloise Pasachoff identified arguments scholars use to explain federal agencies’ reluctance to cut off funds. — Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 24 July 2026 Fifteen years after the Grammy-winning singer’s death, her mother Janis Winehouse opened up about dealing with grief and her daughter’s reluctance toward success in a new interview with The i magazine. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
  1. unwillingness
  2. hesitancy
  3. reticence
  4. hesitance
  5. doubt
  6. disinclination
Noun
  • Others argue that the primary driver of the disconnect is people’s unwillingness to abandon their beliefs in merit – that wealth is the product of hard work, talent and risk.
    — Jen Cole Wright, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
  • His unwillingness to confine himself to a single tradition was one of his greatest strengths.
    — Theodore McDarrah, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of unwillingness
Noun
  • Two committee Republicans voiced hesitancy on Blanche Two committee Republicans placed conditions on supporting Blanche's pathway to a full Senate vote.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
  • During the panel, Flanagan shared that there were initial hesitancies about creating the series.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
Definition of hesitancy
Noun
  • Also in that courtroom that first day is his brother Jack (Noah Centineo), a more visibly restless and outgoing soul compared to Cody’s protective reticence.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But the best quarterbacks ultimately find a way, and the circumstances for this team and player remove any reticence to being malleable.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of reticence
Noun
  • Dexter grapples with killing her, but Rudy eventually can’t handle Dexter’s hesitance and takes the knife into his own hands—and nearly plunges it into Debra’s chest before Dexter stops him.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
  • That hesitance in the Republican Party coexists with palpable relief that there’s a ceasefire agreement in the Middle East after months of strikes on Iran.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 15 June 2026
Definition of hesitance
Noun
  • Was there ever any doubt Cristobal would succeed at his dream job?
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Oceanside has worked for years to get its neighbors on board with plans to restore and retain sand on its eroding beaches south of the municipal pier, but some Carlsbad residents still have their doubts.
    — Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of doubt
Noun
  • Culturally, the word is synonymous with ugly, not just for the ways lesbians defy traditional gender roles in the popular imagination but for their disinclination toward and unavailability to men.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
  • The same disinclination would normally apply.
    — Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 30 Nov. 2025
Definition of disinclination

Browse Nearby Words

relucent
reluctance
reluctant
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on reluctance

Nglish: Translation of reluctance for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about reluctance

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