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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unwillingness
The president’s intense desire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has taken priority over longer-term concerns, conceding the initiative to Iran by his unwillingness to act.
—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
28 June 2026
His unwillingness to back Hilton drew a roundabout rebuke from California Republican Party Chair Corrin Rankin.
—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2026
The strategy gets applause in the room, but then it quietly gets deprioritized because of fear of backlash on social media, or an unwillingness to embrace consumer evolution.
—
Hernan Tagliani,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Fazio, who voted against a higher minimum wage and other key labor bills, said his absence did not reflect an unwillingness to listen to labor.
—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
25 June 2026
Yet many also revealed an unwillingness to surrender entirely to despair.
—
Sean Murphy,
The Conversation,
25 June 2026
In some systems, the greatest danger is not the mistake itself, but the unwillingness to learn.
—
Nisha Narayanan,
STAT,
5 June 2026
The state attributed the delays in Walker-Yeager’s case not to their unwillingness to present discovery, but rather, in part, due to Walker-Yeager’s choice to change her attorneys, noting that Walker-Yeager is on her sixth, court documents read.
—
Sofi Zeman
june 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
On that song, Chapman laments about his unwillingness to evolve.
—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2026
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
28 June 2026
His unwillingness to back Hilton drew a roundabout rebuke from California Republican Party Chair Corrin Rankin.
—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2026
The strategy gets applause in the room, but then it quietly gets deprioritized because of fear of backlash on social media, or an unwillingness to embrace consumer evolution.
—
Hernan Tagliani,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Fazio, who voted against a higher minimum wage and other key labor bills, said his absence did not reflect an unwillingness to listen to labor.
—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
25 June 2026
Yet many also revealed an unwillingness to surrender entirely to despair.
—
Sean Murphy,
The Conversation,
25 June 2026
In some systems, the greatest danger is not the mistake itself, but the unwillingness to learn.
—
Nisha Narayanan,
STAT,
5 June 2026
The state attributed the delays in Walker-Yeager’s case not to their unwillingness to present discovery, but rather, in part, due to Walker-Yeager’s choice to change her attorneys, noting that Walker-Yeager is on her sixth, court documents read.
—
Sofi Zeman
june 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
On that song, Chapman laments about his unwillingness to evolve.
—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwillingness
reluctance
Noun
-
Experts say that's probably an undercount, given immigrants’ reluctance to come forward.
-
Experts say that’s probably an undercount, given immigrants’ reluctance to come forward.
Cite this Entry
“Unwillingness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwillingness. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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