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
Faced with ongoing reluctance from lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker, the mayor has fine-tuned his message this time to make the case that helping Chicago will help the rest of the state.
—
Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025
Sales are logged in a spiral notebook; money changes hands with almost palpable reluctance.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2025
Their grant recipients have also skewed older in age, reflecting a reluctance to fund younger, unproven scientists.
—Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
So the reluctance to impose themselves and instead tread cautiously meant Palace were content to bide their time at Wembley.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025
Sales are logged in a spiral notebook; money changes hands with almost palpable reluctance.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2025
Their grant recipients have also skewed older in age, reflecting a reluctance to fund younger, unproven scientists.
—Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
So the reluctance to impose themselves and instead tread cautiously meant Palace were content to bide their time at Wembley.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
-
But a broader cultural hesitancy about the technology’s implications meant that, once OpenAI made its breakthrough, Altman—its C.E.O.—came to be seen not only as a fiduciary steward but also as an ethical one.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
-
Many of their star performers were overworked, in part due to poor feedback loops with leadership, lack of strong team communication and an overall hesitancy to name workload imbalances.—
Woodrie Burich,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Noun
-
In one instance, Lisa is aghast to find a gun in his house, but her anxiety about his involvement with a local resistance group feels no more dramatic than her frustration with Basem’s reticence about the dissolution of his family.—
Hannah Giorgis,
The Atlantic,
11 Apr. 2025
-
That reticence could conceivably involve suppressing concerns about how the U.S. military’s increasing involvement in domestic missions is placing strains on resources and readiness.—
Risa Brooks,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This hesitance only reinforces the false narrative that race is a divisive topic rather than an integral part of understanding American society.—
Anne Tapp Jaksa,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Apr. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
There is no doubt that not having to play the next day has its benefits.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
-
There is no doubt about Arsenal’s effectiveness on attacking corners, but even after the returns of Havertz and Gabriel, there will be areas to improve on the defensive side.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
As the fintech industry recalibrates—shifting from growth-at-all-costs to sustainable, focused models—leaders like Ferris are proving that clarity beats chaos, and conviction beats hesitation.—
Nicole Casperson,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
-
Part of the hesitation expressed by business centers on understanding how the tariffs will affect consumers’ view of the economy.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share