RELUCTANCE Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

reluctance

noun

ri-ˈlək-tən(t)s

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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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of reluctance This is the breeziness that Tuchel moves with, the reluctance to get bogged down in anything beyond aiming for that second star. —

Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 10 June 2026 But even as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Democrats’ campaign arm extend a lukewarm embrace, there remains a greater reluctance among some to champion Platner in the way Republicans quickly did for Paxton after months of vehemently opposing him. —

Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 10 June 2026 Abel’s enthusiasm for Alphabet is a marked contrast to Buffett’s great reluctance to invest in tech. —

Alex Crippen, CNBC, 6 June 2026 Trump has lashed out at NATO and threatened to withdraw in recent months over alliance members’ reluctance to get involved in the Iran war. —

J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for reluctance

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance

Noun

In the 18th century, lusty also meant insolent, which might have conveyed Anderson’s frustrations with Dina’s unwillingness to accept his authority over her.

— Carolyn Zola, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
In some systems, the greatest danger is not the mistake itself, but the unwillingness to learn.

— Nisha Narayanan, STAT, 5 June 2026