ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Reluctant

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ɹɪˈlʌktənt/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Reluctant is an adjective meaning Not wanting to take some action; unwilling to do something.

Meaning

Not wanting to take some action; unwilling to do something.

More Meanings

  1. (regular expressions) Tending to match as little text as possible.
  2. (archaic) Contrary; defiant; refractory.

Example Sentences

She was reluctant to lend him the money
Surprisingly, our new dog is a reluctant ball-retriever.
That’s probably because you appear as someone who rarely puts himself forward, and is reluctant to teach the wisdom he has.
They are reluctant to the inclusion of a necessity test, especially of a horizontal nature, and emphasize, instead, the importance of procedural disciplines [...].

Synonyms for reluctant

Depending on context, synonyms include disinclined, loath, grudging, unwilling, loth.

Antonyms for reluctant

Common opposites include greedy.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include loath, disinclined, loth, unwilling, averse, grudging.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.