as in unwillingness
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something
the mice showed an odd reluctance to eat the cheese we had put out for them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reluctance
Her reluctance to slip away for an hour in the middle of the shooting schedule speaks to the pressure to perform placed on women by themselves or others, often at the expense of self-care.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
This decision reflects a broader reluctance to empower oversight even in the face of rising public demand for transparency and accountability.
—Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Given this franchise’s reluctance to add top talent in free agency, their draft-and-develop approach can work, but requires time.
—Mac Engel
september 4, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2025
However, like his predecessor, the Pope’s reluctance to fully embrace LGBTQ+ reforms demonstrates how, in the Catholic Church, progressiveness can still be relative.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
This decision reflects a broader reluctance to empower oversight even in the face of rising public demand for transparency and accountability.
—Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Given this franchise’s reluctance to add top talent in free agency, their draft-and-develop approach can work, but requires time.
—Mac Engel
september 4, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2025
However, like his predecessor, the Pope’s reluctance to fully embrace LGBTQ+ reforms demonstrates how, in the Catholic Church, progressiveness can still be relative.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance
Noun
-
The first one is the inability or unwillingness of the Brazilian right to protect Bolsonaro.—
Omar G. Encarnación,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Others objected to his support for openly gay conservatives or his unwillingness to fully endorse white identity politics.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That could alleviate some of the problems, including hesitancy that some pharmacists and doctors have because of the changing rules and confusion.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
11 Sep. 2025
-
If there was any hesitancy about embracing a comedian with no filter, Notre Dame is now in on the joke.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Governor does not comment on hypotheticals, spokesman says DeWine's reticence on the guard question came a little more than a half hour into a press conference called to announce a new agreement for the state patrol to assist crime-fighting in Cincinnati.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Sep. 2025
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As a result, no one can be blamed for approaching this latest entry in the multibillion-dollar franchise with reticence.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Josh Brolin, who played big brother Brandon Walsh, expressed hesitance about a second movie.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Probably not, given the company’s strange hesitance to part ways with its current leadership.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The name leaves little doubt as to what viewers will encounter.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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In case there was any doubt, Jim Cramer’s recent conversation with CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz ought to be persuasive.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The author’s own disinclination toward literary experiment likely stemmed from a belief that the social demanded more moral attention than the psychological.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Its weakness is an intermittent lack of vulnerability and an occasional disinclination to leave all of that behind and pull out individual characters who have figured out that their travails flow from the difficulty of stopping American family life from turning into a Sam Shepard play.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
And if a player is Premier League-proven, there is also less hesitation to pay big sums of money to other domestic clubs.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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Now ready for pre-sale, the Sync Oven and Sync Air Fryer exemplify an idea beyond a kitchen tool, one that replaces hesitation with clarity and guesswork with certainty.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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