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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reluctance
In addition to Trump’s reluctance this term to fire high-level Cabinet officials, and his disinterest in addressing his past Epstein friendship, Lutnick is also a longtime friend of the president who has defended his tariff regime against intra-party criticism.
—
Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 10 Feb. 2026
But there was reluctance to take on two years (and $84 million) for a player who has not played more than 67 games in any of his six seasons because of injuries and suspensions.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Tuttle says the Berlinale has great relationships with the studios but suggests their reluctance to showcase big titles at the festival is part of a wider trend.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 10 Feb. 2026
But there was reluctance to take on two years (and $84 million) for a player who has not played more than 67 games in any of his six seasons because of injuries and suspensions.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
Tuttle says the Berlinale has great relationships with the studios but suggests their reluctance to showcase big titles at the festival is part of a wider trend.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
-
Officials’ unwillingness to acknowledge any mistakes has only sharpened residents’ focus on them, functionally bringing to a grinding halt any discourse around how the two groups can work to prevent the next disaster.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The National Assembly votes to impeach Han as acting president over his unwillingness to fill vacancies on the bench of the Constitutional Court ahead of its decision on whether to formally remove Yoon from office.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 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
-
But uptake has been slow, reflecting a broader industry-wide reticence to shell out.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Merz insists Germany must rebuild military capacity – a departure from decades of both German domestic and EU-wide reticence toward such a move.—
Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager,
The Conversation,
11 Feb. 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
-
There’s little doubt that artificial intelligence will transform the workforce—but the jury is still out on what that transformation will look like in the near term.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
In a flowy fabric and a trendy butter yellow color, too, there’s no doubt this garment will have all eyes on you.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
19 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 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
