First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin reluctant- (stem of reluctāns ), present participle of reluctārī; see reluct, -ant
ANTONYMS FOR reluctant
1 willing.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR reluctant ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for reluctant
1. Reluctant,loath,averse describe disinclination toward something. Reluctant implies some sort of mental struggle, as between disinclination and sense of duty: reluctant to expel students.Loath describes extreme disinclination: loath to part from a friend.Averse, used with to and a noun or a gerund, describes a long-held dislike or unwillingness, though not a particularly strong feeling: averse to an idea; averse to getting up early.
Governments may become more reluctant to rely on other countries for strategic goods, such as masks and medicine or computer chips.
After $20 trillion in pandemic relief spending, there’s still no sign of inflation. What happened?|Bernhard Warner|August 25, 2020|Fortune
Officials were reluctant to take their pitch to investors in the bond market because of the uncertainty of future court battles.
Morning Report: The Deal Before the 101 Ash St. Deal|Voice of San Diego|August 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
City lawyers were confident that he was wrong but the uncertainty of court battles to come meant that the city was reluctant to take its pitch to investors in the bond market.
The Deal Before the 101 Ash St. Debacle Helps Explain How We Got Here|Lisa Halverstadt and Jesse Marx|August 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The uptick in cases in recent weeks has been blamed on social gatherings and travelers, but officials are reluctant to resort to the strict lockdowns imposed during the initial peak of the pandemic in March and April.
Europe is at a turning point as COVID cases spike, and fragile governments feel the heat|Bernhard Warner|August 20, 2020|Fortune
Other publishers are reluctant to help, either because they have their own subscriptions to promote or they are not sure if Scroll is going to succeed.
Inside Tony Haile’s expedition to (help) save the news business |Steven Perlberg|July 27, 2020|Digiday
I was reluctant to ask anything too specific, because I felt like I would be asking for trouble!
Christopher Nolan Uncut: On ‘Interstellar,’ Ben Affleck’s Batman, and the Future of Mankind|Marlow Stern|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And if candidates on the ballot this year are reluctant to campaign alongside Sanders, they are not shy about taking his money.
Bernie Sanders Is Showing Us the Socialist Way to Run for President|David Freedlander|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Even the American colleagues on site, they didn't believe it was going to work and they were reluctant,” he says.
Blood Is Ebola’s Weapon and Weakness|Abby Haglage|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The British public has been reluctant to get involved again in a Middle Eastern war, just as the American public was.
Will The Latest ISIS Beheading Move Britain To Tougher Action?|Jamie Dettmer|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Is there any recent precedent for a reluctant but strong warrior in Republican politics?
The Secret to Rand Paul’s Foreign Policy: His Father|W. James Antle III|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Clearly they did not, and nothing remained but reluctant apology and reconciliation.
Years of My Youth|William Dean Howells
He served his full term, and at its close the people were reluctant to part with him.
Thirty Years in the Itinerancy|Wesson Gage Miller
I have been warned, said Mr. Merrick, reluctant, yet with redoubled dignity.
Paths of Judgement|Anne Douglas Sedgwick
The Wellington quivered and trembled for a moment as though it were reluctant to leave the safety of English soil.
Dave Dawson with the R.A.F|R. Sidney Bowen
It was a demonstration of the impossibility of an invasion which convinced those who were most reluctant to be convinced.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879|Various