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
An investigation uncovered 398 violations in about half of 220 sample claims, including delays, underpayment, poor communication, and reluctance to cover smoke damage testing.
—
Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
No athlete in the last 50 years exudes coolness like Michael Jordan, who creates an audience because of his reluctance to seek it.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026
Braun’s reluctance around the rim was often a noticeable theme of the first-round playoff series, which the Nuggets lost 4-2, condemning them to a long offseason.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
But Parikh says one of the biggest overarching challenges is the persistent stigma and reluctance to discuss this part of the body.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
No athlete in the last 50 years exudes coolness like Michael Jordan, who creates an audience because of his reluctance to seek it.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026
Braun’s reluctance around the rim was often a noticeable theme of the first-round playoff series, which the Nuggets lost 4-2, condemning them to a long offseason.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
But Parikh says one of the biggest overarching challenges is the persistent stigma and reluctance to discuss this part of the body.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
-
Her unwillingness to see this complicated problem outside of a politically expedient, simplistic partisan lens is disqualifying.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
-
Their unwillingness to engage beyond the surface means a refusal to examine rap’s layered explorations of life, pride and pain, described through lyrical humor, social commentary and witty wordplay.—
A.D. Carson,
The Conversation,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
The decline in vitamin K uptake is still believed to be related to vaccine and medicine hesitancy, according to both the JAMA study and ProPublica investigation.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
This hesitancy and worry about speaking up is the way free speech dies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
And yet, when Obama won the Presidency, Bush greeted him with graceful comments of welcome, and then embarked on a retirement characterized by reticence.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Dancer Clinton Harris became emotional describing a natural reticence about expressing himself verbally instead of through movement.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
After a pause for the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, social hesitance was still evident and masks were incorporated into some of the night's designs.—
Luis Giraldo,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
-
Sensing hesitance as well as incompetence, coaches and players alike tried to sway the flailing fill-ins at every turn.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The election drubbing cemented doubts among many Labor lawmakers about Starmer’s judgment, vision and leadership ability — a brutal indictment on a leader who returned the party to power in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
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When in doubt, turn to Dries Van Noten’s polka-dot-print pareo.—
Laura Jackson,
Vogue,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Culturally, the word is synonymous with ugly, not just for the ways lesbians defy traditional gender roles in the popular imagination but for their disinclination toward and unavailability to men.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
-
The same disinclination would normally apply.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
30 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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