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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unwillingness
Congressional Republicans and the USDA have blamed the freeze on Senate Democrats' unwillingness to approve a continuing resolution to fund the government.
—
Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2025
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
Or the threat to come down hard on Hamas for its unwillingness to keep its promise and disarm.
—Barry Strauss, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
Those concerns remain, but business owners trace their current woes to the inflationary environment and the company’s unwillingness to provide sufficient support at a time when Amazon is focused on cutting costs and boosting profits.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Anyone who lived through 2020 will recognize the themes of government negligence, distrust in scientists, and the widespread unwillingness of far too many people to make any sacrifices to their way of life.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Illston appeared frustrated and perplexed by the government's unwillingness to engage on the merits during the hearing.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
His unwillingness to name a successor is fueling fears of impending political chaos, World Politics Review said, and arguably holding back progress in the country.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
This lack of training, the lack of confidence to ask the right questions and the unwillingness to see past a diagnosis, turned an already nerve-wracking situation into a horrifying ordeal for my family.
—Maura Sullivan, Boston Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2025
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
Or the threat to come down hard on Hamas for its unwillingness to keep its promise and disarm.
—Barry Strauss, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
Those concerns remain, but business owners trace their current woes to the inflationary environment and the company’s unwillingness to provide sufficient support at a time when Amazon is focused on cutting costs and boosting profits.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Anyone who lived through 2020 will recognize the themes of government negligence, distrust in scientists, and the widespread unwillingness of far too many people to make any sacrifices to their way of life.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Illston appeared frustrated and perplexed by the government's unwillingness to engage on the merits during the hearing.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
His unwillingness to name a successor is fueling fears of impending political chaos, World Politics Review said, and arguably holding back progress in the country.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
This lack of training, the lack of confidence to ask the right questions and the unwillingness to see past a diagnosis, turned an already nerve-wracking situation into a horrifying ordeal for my family.
—Maura Sullivan, Boston Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwillingness
reluctance
Noun
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Xi’s words contrast with his emphasis on traditional gender roles, which has created a reluctance among officials to break families apart.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Smith has long been open about their history of struggle with body issues, including in a 2019 post in which the singer posed shirtless on a beach and described a reluctance early in their career to take photos without a shirt on.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwillingness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwillingness. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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