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
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Recent Examples of reluctance
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
Not just here Homebuyers across California are showing similar signs of reluctance.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Summer and her sister attended the execution at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre — where the state’s executions take place — despite their dad’s initial reluctance.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2025
Among some Hollywood execs, there’s a new reluctance to even engage with OpenAI.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Julie K Brown, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
Not just here Homebuyers across California are showing similar signs of reluctance.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Summer and her sister attended the execution at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre — where the state’s executions take place — despite their dad’s initial reluctance.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2025
Among some Hollywood execs, there’s a new reluctance to even engage with OpenAI.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
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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
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Or the threat to come down hard on Hamas for its unwillingness to keep its promise and disarm.—
Barry Strauss,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This hesitancy is common, Travers said, because people may be fearful of being judged or of having their trauma follow them later in life.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
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Yet Trump’s mercurial nature has given other presidential scholars, who cited the president’s six-month journey to even suggest that Vance and Rubio were in the running to succeed him, some hesitancy.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
18 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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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
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Still, the Sons of Anarchy star has been open about his initial hesitance to take on the role.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Yangwang doesn’t want to leave any doubts about the U9’s capabilities.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
22 Oct. 2025
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Many journalists, authors, and investigators have voiced doubts about these convictions, believing that the real Monster of Florence was never caught.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 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
Noun
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Neighbors expressed hesitation about the plans, citing the noise helicopters would cause, WPBF News 25 and WPTV reported.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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Villa had known Elliott was available in the months before, yet the price caused hesitation.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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