RELUCTANTLY Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

reluctantly

adverb

Definition of reluctantly

as in hesitantly

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 reluctantly Initially premiering at the Midnight Screening at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil tells of a police officer and a crime boss who reluctantly team-up to track down a serial killer. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026 Some are cousins of the Belâawane family and many, like our head mule handler, Zaïd Oukhazaid, have reluctantly abandoned their nomadic ways for permanent village life for a variety of reasons, including climate change. — Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026 During a June 11 meeting where the commission reluctantly agreed to put the question on the ballot after a judge ordered them to do so, Gabela was one of the most vocal opponents of the deal, the terms of which date back to 2016 and 2017. — Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026 With the holiday in jeopardy, Penny must reluctantly step up to save Christmas for the children of Emilyville — and the rest of the world. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reluctantly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctantly

Adverb

In the public imagination, Housewives with a capital H are fame-hungry attention hogs who would rather throw the $400 bottle of Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux that’s sitting in front of us than sip it, as Cosby is hesitantly doing now.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Diane refuses, but April hesitantly makes the trip, only to learn that Theo — an artistic dilettante who lives in the city with his girlfriend, Lucy (Odessa A’zion) — has been lunching with Sandra behind her back.

— Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of hesitantly

Adverb

Musashi becomes unwillingly bound to the mystical Oni Gauntlet.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Two years after his death, and even longer since Missing Richard Simmons forced him unwillingly into the public eye, Diane Sawyer is trying to get to the bottom of why the fitness guru hid inside his house for a decade.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 14 May 2026

Definition of unwillingly

Browse Nearby Words

reluctant

reluctantly

rely

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Style

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

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Synonyms of reluctantly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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