Synonyms of unwillingness

unwillingness

noun

as in reluctance

a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something

your unwillingness to help with the cooking means that you won't be sharing in the eating

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reluctance
• reticence
• hesitancy
• hesitance
• doubt
• disinclination
• skepticism
• hesitation
• indecision
• vacillation
• irresolution
• suspicion
• uncertainty
• wavering
• staggering
• faltering
• distrust
• mistrust
• wobbling
• fence-sitting
• incertitude
• shilly-shallying
• distrustfulness
• mistrustfulness
• uncertainness
• misdoubt
• misgiving

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• willingness
• inclination
• conviction
• certainty
• assurance
• surety
• certitude
• positiveness
• sureness
• assuredness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of unwillingness

But the real secret to Hegseth’s success in imposing his agenda on the Pentagon has been the unwillingness of the current Congress to exercise its Article I responsibilities or defend its traditional prerogatives. — Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2026

Today, experts say, the phrase is in danger of becoming synonymous with the potentially enormous costs of overconfidence, complacency, and an unwillingness to change. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Nov. 2026

But many on the far right find this slow-burn strategy to be a fantasy—or cover for Fuentes’s unwillingness to take larger political risks. — Nathan Taylor Pemberton, Vanity Fair, 29 Oct. 2026

His critics have used it as a symbol of the Republican senator’s unwillingness to meet with constituents. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026

His movements are nimble and controlled, attesting to his unwillingness to give in to the bad days, the moments of grief. — Bella Armstrong, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

Good leadership requires enough curiosity to distinguish unwillingness from overload. — Shahrzad Jalali, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Hinds was a big, sometimes difficult personality, with an easy laugh and a large tribal tattoo across his face, plus a general unwillingness to compromise. — Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

In recent months, some militant settlers are ramping up their campaign to violently drive out the Palestinians who live there -- often with impunity -- the Israeli government showing an unwillingness to crack down on the violence. — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026