Definitions for reluctant
rɪˈlʌk təntre·luc·tant

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.0 / 4 votes

1. loath, loth, reluctantadjective

   unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom

   "a reluctant smile"; "loath to admit a mistake"

2. reluctantadjective

   disinclined to become involved

   "they were usually reluctant to socialize"; "reluctant to help"

3. reluctantadjective

   not eager

   "foreigners stubbornly reluctant to accept our ways"; "fresh from college and reluctant for the moment to marry him"

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. reluctantadjective

   Opposing; offering resistance (to).

2. reluctantadjective

   Not wanting to take some action; unwilling.

   She was reluctant to lend him the money

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Reluctantadjective

   Unwilling; acting with repugnance.

   Etymology: reluctans, Lat.

   Reluctant; but in vain! a greater pow’r
   Now rul’d him. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. x.

   Some refuge in the muse’s art I found;
   Reluctant now I touch’d the trembling string
   Bereft of him, who taught me how to sing. Thomas Tickell.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. reluctant

   Reluctant refers to being unwilling or hesitant to do something, generally arising from fear, dislike or unwillingness. It expresses a lack of enthusiasm or resistance towards a particular action or situation.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Reluctantadjective

   striving against; opposed in desire; unwilling; disinclined; loth

2. Reluctantadjective

   proceeding from an unwilling mind; granted with reluctance; as, reluctant obedience

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. Reluctant

   rē-luk′tant, adj. struggling or striving against: unwilling: disinclined.—v.i. Rēluct′, to make resistance.—ns. Reluc′tance, Reluc′tancy, state of being reluctant: unwillingness.—adv. Reluc′tantly.—v.i. Reluc′tāte, to be reluctant.—n. Reluctā′tion, repugnance. [L. reluctans, -antis, pr.p. of reluctāri—re-, against, luctāri, to struggle.]

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'reluctant' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4395

2. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'reluctant' in Adjectives Frequency: #595

How to pronounce reluctant?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say reluctant in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of reluctant in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of reluctant in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of reluctant in a Sentence

1. Matthew Karnes:

   People are somewhat reluctant to reveal they're cannabis users when they're dating, it might be a turn-off. Most dating apps have you check a box -- whether you drink or smoke (cigarettes), those are the two categories. At some point, they'll gravitate towards cannabis use.

2. Kelly Estes:

   He was aggressive to both of them. He was reluctant to give his name, he was definitely not friendly.

3. Frederic Gleach:

   I'm reluctant to sacrifice the material in order to do that much archaeological work, in particular, radiocarbon dating is destructive by nature... Once you have burned the sample to run radiocarbon dating, it's gone.

4. Angus King:

   We have to defend democracy, and I'm afraid that our colleagues have put us in that position. I'm very reluctant to modify the filibuster. But I don't feel I can stand by and see our system subverted.

5. Matthias Kiener:

   Sometimes the due diligence is not done. That might be because many charities are founded on the principle of trust. An NGO might be reluctant to ask tough questions of some of those it employs.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=reluctant
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reluctant
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=reluctant
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctant
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=reluctant