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
Men’s reluctance to leave unhappy marriages is rarely about one factor.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Denver Public Schools’ Board of Education is considering requiring a pause of at least three years between rounds of school closures, reflecting members’ reluctance to shutter classrooms amid falling K-12 public school enrollment.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2025
The findings suggest a sudden reluctance to visit the U.S. isn't a purely Canadian phenomenon and should sound alarm bells for the country's $1 trillion-plus travel industry.
—Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 4 Apr. 2025
Indeed, behind all of this is the administration's reluctance to support Ukraine, which allies might see as applying to themselves, and China might see as applying to Taiwan.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Denver Public Schools’ Board of Education is considering requiring a pause of at least three years between rounds of school closures, reflecting members’ reluctance to shutter classrooms amid falling K-12 public school enrollment.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2025
The findings suggest a sudden reluctance to visit the U.S. isn't a purely Canadian phenomenon and should sound alarm bells for the country's $1 trillion-plus travel industry.
—Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 4 Apr. 2025
Indeed, behind all of this is the administration's reluctance to support Ukraine, which allies might see as applying to themselves, and China might see as applying to Taiwan.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
-
Despite the air of hesitancy partially clouding the results, the project strikes a hopeful chord for wildlife conservation.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
8 Apr. 2025
-
At least one legislator expressed hesitancy during a Senate committee vote Wednesday about the legislation’s expansive footprint.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
His dad’s customary reticence meant Specktor had work to do.—
Lorraine Berry,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
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His son visits Baghdad and Fallujah during summer vacations, puzzled by his family’s political reticence and by how his once prosperous cousins are impoverished by the sanctions regime of the 1990s.—
Lisa Anderson,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The war plans group chat uncovered by a journalist at The Atlantic exposed some daylight between Vice President Vance and others in the administration, showing Vance’s hesitance about launching a military strike that President Trump has hailed this week as necessary and successful.—
Alex Gangitano,
The Hill,
29 Mar. 2025
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This often shows up in subtle ways: a reluctance to apply for promotions, a hesitance to speak up in high-stakes meetings, or discomfort in presenting a polished resume or LinkedIn profile.—
Amanda Miller Littlejohn,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Kuemper shows his regular-season form There isn’t any doubt that Winnipeg’s star goalie Connor Hellebuyck will take home his second consecutive Vezina Trophy and third of his career.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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There's no doubt now that when history is being made on the course, golf fans take notice and tune in, making these events must-watch television.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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On the contrary, these works form a trail of historical and imagined personalities, full of desires and disinclinations that misalign.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
After years of hesitation, the national security space community is finally boarding the commercial space train, one that many of us have been pushing for since the early 2000’s.—
Charles Beames,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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This time around, there’s no hesitation for Larsson.—
Tiana DeNicola,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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