How to Use reluctantly in a Sentence

reluctantly

adverb
  • John reluctantly agrees, but things don’t go quite as planned.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The Gorn reluctantly agrees to go along with the plan.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Liu reluctantly returned to the ice when the rinks did open.
    — Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
  • My father, with nowhere else to go, reluctantly cut his hair back down to an Afro.
    — Safiya Sinclair, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
  • Fears reluctantly walked off the court and practice went on without him.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
  • James asked Bridges to show him his drug stash, which the actor reluctantly agreed to.
    — Angela Andaloro, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • 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
  • People will tune in, idly, reluctantly, with half an eye on something else.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023
  • When rinks did open, Alysa reluctantly returned to the ice.
    — Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Meredith drives up and reluctantly joins in the snow removal.
    — Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
  • Priscilla didn't want to have anything to do with him but reluctantly agreed to meet the man who broke her heart decades ago.
    — Diane Herbst, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2023
  • Apple has thus far seemed very cool on the platform and seemed to u-turn on its adoption reluctantly.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Amat reluctantly agrees to give the group of women a ride into town.
    — Claire Franken, TVLine, 26 June 2024
  • Gi-hun reluctantly sets down the child and lets Myung-gi pick her up and bring her over to the third pillar.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 June 2025
  • Kim Il-hyeok’s wife, five months pregnant, reluctantly agreed to join.
    — Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Ghadir reluctantly did so, and that night her entire building was destroyed in an air strike.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
  • He could be reluctantly persuaded if there were Arab boots on the ground.
    — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025
  • The pair must pause their grudge match and reluctantly join forces to defeat a Predator.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 6 June 2025
  • But most coaches share case studies rarely or reluctantly.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Kennedy reluctantly confessed the two have played some pick-up hoops together over the years.
    — Joe Donlon, CBS News, 16 June 2026
  • Adam reluctantly agrees to stay with Knight while his mother is missing.
    — Sara Netzley, EW.com, 2 May 2023
  • When Sam's mother leaves town, Palmer reluctantly steps in to care for the boy.
    — Brooke Lefferts, Star Tribune, 27 Jan. 2021
  • Pitman kept both the plate and the nickname, reluctantly.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
  • Gary reluctantly gives the teen the tincture as payment for the intel.
    — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
  • The trio reluctantly decide to split up and let Pete go off on his own to find water.
    — Matt Cabral, EW.com, 23 Mar. 2025
  • So Joel reluctantly agrees and tells Ellie to go get the horses and meet them up the trail.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • Body fat helped ensure survival, and that’s why the body loves stored fat and surrenders it reluctantly.
    — Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 27 June 2024
  • Oakey stared at the blank screen and seemingly sighed, and then reluctantly turned towards the window.
    — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Hogan reluctantly agreed to placate Belzer when the host asked him to demonstrate a wrestling move.
    — Marc Raimondi june 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
  • The woman was bleeding from a cut on the hand, and reluctantly agreed to be taken to a hospital.
    — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2025

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

Last Updated: