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
Reverence for the past, and reluctance to destroy until the risks of destruction are fully known, is not timidity but wisdom, in architecture as in life.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
The documentary also examines how Emerson’s best friend’s death deeply affected his mental health, his reluctance to seek help and the events leading up to Flight 2059.
—Maddie Garfinkle, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Despite her reluctance, Natalya agreed to the angle.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Part of the reason for the decision, Acosta said, was the reluctance of his underage victims to testify.
—Julie K Brown, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
The documentary also examines how Emerson’s best friend’s death deeply affected his mental health, his reluctance to seek help and the events leading up to Flight 2059.
—Maddie Garfinkle, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Despite her reluctance, Natalya agreed to the angle.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Part of the reason for the decision, Acosta said, was the reluctance of his underage victims to testify.
—Julie K Brown, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
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Congressional Republicans and the USDA have blamed the freeze on Senate Democrats' unwillingness to approve a continuing resolution to fund the government.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
27 Oct. 2025
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With his ferocious running style to his unwillingness to quit on a play, Skattebo has became an extremely player not just in New York, but across the league.—
Mark Kern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Her hesitancy alone is treated as a question in need of an answer rather than a valid response to an increasingly complex choice.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
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Jennifer Lawrence opened up about her hesitancy about speaking to the press during an interview with The New Yorker published Monday.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Despite Canales’ reticence, there’s little guesswork involved.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
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In fact, some of Indiana's most pro-Trump lawmakers previously expressed reticence about drawing new maps, though some of the opposition softened in the wake of previous meetings with Vance.—
Hayleigh Colombo,
IndyStar,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The judge continued to echo his hesitance following the reveal and shared an Instagram Stories post posing the question for fans.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Now, there is some reason for hesitance here, mainly because Raymond could be playing with a rotating cast on his line’s left wing this season.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Eli Drinkwitz has done more with less at Mizzou, and there's little doubt he'll be targeted in this boiling kettle of a market.—
Chase Goodbread,
The Tuscaloosa News,
29 Oct. 2025
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But what has raised Democrats' eyebrows is that Grossbard was a plaintiff in a 2020 lawsuit against state and various county officials, alleging there was enough evidence to place that year's election results into doubt.—
Lily Altavena,
Freep.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The author’s own disinclination toward literary experiment likely stemmed from a belief that the social demanded more moral attention than the psychological.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Its weakness is an intermittent lack of vulnerability and an occasional disinclination to leave all of that behind and pull out individual characters who have figured out that their travails flow from the difficulty of stopping American family life from turning into a Sam Shepard play.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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