RELUCTANCE Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

reluctance

noun

ri-ˈlək-tən(t)s

Definition of reluctance

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of reluctance Ricchio is referring to the reluctance — by now, a grassroots national resistance — of Canadians traveling to the United States. — CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 In the past, the principal solvent of Europe’s imperial dominions was the growing reluctance of people in the metropole to bear the financial and military burden. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026 Against that backdrop, the royal visit signals that Spain is shedding its longstanding reluctance to send its monarchs to the exclaves, Amirah-Fernández said. — Joseph Wilson, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026 Still, shares fell almost 3% despite the solid results, reflecting investors' reluctance to reward even better-than-expected earnings amid broader concerns about the banking sector. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reluctance

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctance

Noun

His movements are nimble and controlled, attesting to his unwillingness to give in to the bad days, the moments of grief.

— Bella Armstrong, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026
In the United States, the $2 trillion federal budget deficit reflects a collective unwillingness by the country’s political class to impose the taxes and fiscal restraint needed to cover the mounting costs of Social Security and Medicare.

— NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of unwillingness

Noun

Opposition or hesitancy has been less focused on Hasan's death sentence which has broad support among Republicans, but on the decision to broadcast it.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Consider the party’s hesitancy in addressing the financial ramifications of China’s demographic decline.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of hesitancy

Noun

However, Pritzker’s hesitance to deploy a comprehensive solution to data centers could be his Achilles’ heel in the primaries.

— Patrick McNamara, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Dexter grapples with killing her, but Rudy eventually can’t handle Dexter’s hesitance and takes the knife into his own hands—and nearly plunges it into Debra’s chest before Dexter stops him.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026

Definition of hesitance

Noun

Election deniers are using public records to sow doubt in California.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Those fiscal strains come as political volatility and social unrest raise doubts about the government’s ability to deliver measures aimed at stabilizing the public finances.

— Jenni Reid,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of doubt

Noun

Culturally, the word is synonymous with ugly, not just for the ways lesbians defy traditional gender roles in the popular imagination but for their disinclination toward and unavailability to men.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
The same disinclination would normally apply.

— Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 30 Nov. 2025

Definition of disinclination

Browse Nearby Words

relucent

reluctance

reluctant

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Reluctance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctance. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of reluctance

noun

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