Unwilling

/ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ/ · adjective

Meaning

Not willing; reluctant.

Example Sentences

an unwilling servant

We are unwilling to restore his previous privileges after his betrayal of our trust.

There was a prevailing fear of the effect of large undertakings becoming monopolistic, and Parliament showed itself unwilling to sanction any large groupings.

[...] but in the damp conditions prevailing the driver sensibly was unwilling to attempt the climb up through Combe Down tunnel without help, for fear of slipping to a standstill in the unventilated bore, [...].

My son, a Canada-based IT professional who often travels to Ukraine, told me about the exhilarating atmosphere on those Ukraine-bound trains, bringing home hundreds of the unwilling refugees, mostly women and children (including the babies, born in exile on the way to meet their Ukrainian fighter fathers for the first time). The difference between Ukrainian refugees and other reluctant exiles is that Ukrainians are desperate to return.

Synonyms for unwilling

Antonyms for unwilling

Related Words

Word Forms

• more unwilling
• most unwilling

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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