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
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Recent Examples of unwillingness
But Trump has also grown tired of Netanyahu’s unwillingness to stop a war that Trump himself wants credit for bringing to a close.
—
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Ahead of Friday's vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune stood firm on the Senate floor and signaled his party’s unwillingness to negotiate with Democrats over their demands in order to open the government back up.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025
Finally, the Gators’ timid portal strategy is deliberate, not an unwillingness to adapt.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Segregation and self-censorship The first ingredient of a moral panic is the segregation of a society into at least two groups with limited contact between them and an unwillingness to learn from one another.
—Ron Barrett, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
Our unwillingness to compromise our values, no matter the odds or the outcome, reflects a simple conviction that standing up for the truth and what is right matters.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
An unwillingness to take Tylenol in this scenario, then, could send mother and baby down the wrong path.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
In hip hop, in business, and especially in the public imagination, Black masculinity is often tied to dominance, financial control, and an unwillingness to show vulnerability.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Sep. 2025
Mandatory reporting aims to overcome the many reasons people might otherwise stay silent such as fear of retaliation, reluctance to damage relationships, or simple unwillingness to get involved.
—Nina A. Kohn, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Ahead of Friday's vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune stood firm on the Senate floor and signaled his party’s unwillingness to negotiate with Democrats over their demands in order to open the government back up.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025
Finally, the Gators’ timid portal strategy is deliberate, not an unwillingness to adapt.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Segregation and self-censorship The first ingredient of a moral panic is the segregation of a society into at least two groups with limited contact between them and an unwillingness to learn from one another.
—Ron Barrett, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
Our unwillingness to compromise our values, no matter the odds or the outcome, reflects a simple conviction that standing up for the truth and what is right matters.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
An unwillingness to take Tylenol in this scenario, then, could send mother and baby down the wrong path.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
In hip hop, in business, and especially in the public imagination, Black masculinity is often tied to dominance, financial control, and an unwillingness to show vulnerability.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Sep. 2025
Mandatory reporting aims to overcome the many reasons people might otherwise stay silent such as fear of retaliation, reluctance to damage relationships, or simple unwillingness to get involved.
—Nina A. Kohn, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwillingness
reluctance
Noun
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And Clark’s fans, who have often noted the exceptionally high level of physicality directed at Clark and who’ve been aghast at the league office’s reluctance to single out her unique star power, had good reasons to believe that the league was self-sabotaging.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
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As the missing final months in the timeline of An Unfinished Film indicates, the people's reluctance to talk about the pandemic cannot be attributed only to censorship.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unwillingness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwillingness. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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