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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reluctance
Trump expresses confidence that his nominee to become Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, can unleash an economic bonanza by jettisoning what the president sees as the central bank’s hidebound reluctance to slash interest rates.
—
Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Trump is confident that his nominee to become Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, can unleash an even greater economic bonanza by jettisoning what the president sees as the central bank’s hidebound reluctance to slash interest rates.
—Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
His reluctance to fully embrace the deal contributed to its fragility.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
Trump is confident that his nominee to become Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, can unleash an even greater economic bonanza by jettisoning what the president sees as the central bank’s hidebound reluctance to slash interest rates.
—Paul Wiseman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Trump is confident that his nominee to become Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, can unleash an even greater economic bonanza by jettisoning what the president sees as the central bank’s hidebound reluctance to slash interest rates.
—Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
His reluctance to fully embrace the deal contributed to its fragility.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
Trump is confident that his nominee to become Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, can unleash an even greater economic bonanza by jettisoning what the president sees as the central bank’s hidebound reluctance to slash interest rates.
—Paul Wiseman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
-
At its core, narcissism is defined by a lack of empathy—not just occasional selfishness, but a consistent inability or unwillingness to step into someone else’s world.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
5 Mar. 2026
-
NeKeia McSwain, principal designer at NeKeia + Co, says that outdated design is less about a home's aesthetic and more about an unwillingness to change.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His hesitancy has become a referendum.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Jackson also participated in COVID-19 vaccination drives to battle hesitancy in Black communities.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Resolving Differences Challenging reticence has propelled the firm in a modern era.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
But uptake has been slow, reflecting a broader industry-wide reticence to shell out.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Analysts have noted Mojtaba's lack of adequate religious credentials and hesitance within the regime to oversee a dynastic succession as marks against his candidacy to be the next supreme leader.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Her only hesitance was how much the internet has changed culture in the past decade.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Because there is little doubt that Canadiens management sees what their coach sees, and what anyone watching their team sees.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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There are also significant doubts there are enough Navy ships to escort commercial vessels, given that 60 or more tankers typically traverse the strait each day.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The same disinclination would normally apply.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
30 Nov. 2025
-
Beauty’s at-times reluctance to embrace TikTok Shop as a channel mirrors the industry’s longtime disinclination toward Amazon, an attitude that has shifted in recent years as the e-commerce giant’s beauty business has grown at an incontrovertible clip.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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