reluctantly
adverb
re·luc·tant·ly
ri-ˈlək-tənt-lē 
: in a reluctant manner : with aversion or hesitation
The quiet resolution in his voice penetrated her racing thoughts. Reluctantly she gave him a corner of her attention.—
Elizabeth George Speare
Elizabeth George SpeareHe is about to release 'Thriller,' and today he's agreed, reluctantly, to sit for the Rolling Stone cover.—Gerri Hirshey
Gerri HirsheyKirsti had gone to bed reluctantly, complaining that she wanted to stay up with the others, that she was grownup enough, … that it wasn't fair.—Lois Lowry
Lois LowryExamples of reluctantly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One by one each of us, some more reluctantly than others, pinched out a grub and swallowed it whole.
—Bill Frist, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
One night after 10 p.m., Long (Hiep Tran Nghia) reluctantly agrees to chauffeur a desperate caller who promises to pay double.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2025
When Stone grew insistent, protesting she’d recently been targeted for violence, the security chief reluctantly relented.
—Scott Huver, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025
Ukraine’s brave resistance to the supposedly overwhelming might of the Russian military lasted long enough to force the United States and Europe to join its defense, albeit reluctantly and slowly.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctantly
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Bill Frist, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
One night after 10 p.m., Long (Hiep Tran Nghia) reluctantly agrees to chauffeur a desperate caller who promises to pay double.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2025
When Stone grew insistent, protesting she’d recently been targeted for violence, the security chief reluctantly relented.
—Scott Huver, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025
Ukraine’s brave resistance to the supposedly overwhelming might of the Russian military lasted long enough to force the United States and Europe to join its defense, albeit reluctantly and slowly.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctantly
Cite this Entry
“Reluctantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctantly. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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