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
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Recent Examples of reluctance
But his reluctance to change his first-choice midfield three or rotate the wingers has hamstrung his side recently.
—
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Some reluctance stems from the belief that other customers will perceive solo diners or moviegoers as sad or lonely.
—Peter McGraw, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
Formal provisions for the exchange of prisoners was not agreed upon until the summer of 1862, delayed by the Union’s reluctance to take any action that implied recognition of Confederate nationhood.
—Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Similar reluctance has been voiced for blood pressure medications and the new obesity drugs, but fears about muscle soreness, including a condition called rhabdomyolysis, have taken root specifically for statins.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Some reluctance stems from the belief that other customers will perceive solo diners or moviegoers as sad or lonely.
—Peter McGraw, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
Formal provisions for the exchange of prisoners was not agreed upon until the summer of 1862, delayed by the Union’s reluctance to take any action that implied recognition of Confederate nationhood.
—Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Similar reluctance has been voiced for blood pressure medications and the new obesity drugs, but fears about muscle soreness, including a condition called rhabdomyolysis, have taken root specifically for statins.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
-
Pickens’ representation, led by super agent David Mulugheta, has expressed an unwillingness to have clients play under the franchise tag.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The Heat views its approach not as an unwillingness to adapt to the NBA’s new world free-agency-is-no-longer-a-thing ecosystem, but a preference to rely on uncovering gems in the draft process than relying on the randomness of the draft lottery.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Jackson also participated in COVID-19 vaccination drives to battle hesitancy in Black communities.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
And every one of us has moments of hiding, fear, doubt, and hesitancy.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After years of relative reticence at the NBA trade deadline, Artūras Karnišovas, executive vice president of basketball operations, came into this week swinging.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
-
That reticence may well have helped to diminish his reputation; indeed, his contribution has been largely eclipsed by that of his eldest son, the abstract painter and sculptor Ben Nicholson.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Company leaders have attributed slower demand to higher mortgage rates, economic uncertainty and consumers’ hesitance to spring for pricier projects.—
Melissa Repko,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
-
But the unwillingness to even take them, the same hesitance that Nance and most others believed was in the past, is hurting his overall game.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For now, those doubts have done little to dent her standing.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Technical doubts and stealth concerns Skepticism around the SM-39 centers on physics as much as design.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 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 18 Feb. 2026.
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