How to Use reluctance in a Sentence

reluctance

noun
  • Some even had the same reluctance to change their socks.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Mar. 2026
  • And there was a lot of reluctance to do away with the rear screen.
    — Morgan Korn, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
  • This reluctance to share our big dreams is part of what holds us back.
    — Janine MacLachlan, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022
  • Porter has been candid about her reluctance to film the scene.
    — Beandrea July, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
  • So there was some reluctance to do, to put that kind of pressure on him.
    — CBS News, 24 Oct. 2021
  • And one reason may be their reluctance to give back.
    — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The reason for this defeat was not a reluctance to use force.
    — Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
  • Yet, his seeming reluctance to run the ball at times can confound.
    — Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Nov. 2022
  • The reluctance still shows in the rules of trading in this sector, though.
    — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 12 Oct. 2021
  • Racial redlining is widely viewed as a cause of that reluctance.
    — Washington Post, 7 June 2021
  • To be sure, there are valid strategic reasons for his reluctance.
    — Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
  • This—the self-doubt, the reluctance to be direct—is my first clue that something is not right.
    — Anna Holmes, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Hall has expressed reluctance to ask the team’s best fans, the ones who attend games, to pay even more.
    — Kent Somers, The Arizona Republic, 19 Aug. 2022
  • But some of it was clearly reluctance for voters to go for Vance.
    — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, 15 July 2024
  • And in that reluctance to yield to darkness lay perhaps the promise of spring.
    — Martin Weil, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2023
  • Trump has shown reluctance to pressure or speak ill of Putin in public.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
  • Part of the issue might have been the team’s reluctance to test defenses deep through the air.
    — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
  • There’s a reason for their reluctance and caution.
    — David McHugh, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The Maclin character’s reluctance to change his ways is based on truth.
    — Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
  • All signs point to Branson’s reluctance to keep funding the firm.
    — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Did the state’s reluctance to get on board delay the program’s uptake?
    — Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 8 May 2024
  • If central bankers show reluctance to order further cuts, stocks could fall.
    — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
  • Jones at times showed a reluctance to push the ball downfield — or couldn’t push it due to poor pass protection.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
  • Start with the reluctance of the Tour to blow up a business model that, while stressed, has not failed.
    — Eamon Lynch, USA TODAY, 24 July 2022
  • This prompted his wife to take him to the hospital despite his reluctance to go.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
  • What was the initial reluctance and how did this way become appealing for you?
    — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
  • The joint press release tucks the reason for that reluctance away in a dependent clause.
    — Jeremy Lott, Washington Examiner, 4 Jan. 2024
  • That’s the product of the transfer portal that May has shown no reluctance to use.
    — Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
  • That's the product of the transfer portal that May has shown no reluctance to use.
    — CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
  • At the time, club owners’ reluctance to give the band a shot was understandable.
    — oregonlive, 15 Nov. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reluctance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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