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 When Kaczynski reluctantly steps outside, the agents waiting nearby move in and arrest him. — Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026 Baseball commissioner Bud Selig reluctantly agreed to postpone games until the 17th. — Filip Bondy, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026 Atletico Madrid blocked the move but were reluctantly open to selling him abroad as an alternative, given the forward’s obvious desire to leave. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Talwani, nominated to the bench by former President Obama, reluctantly removed the second injunction shortly after. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 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

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reluctant

reluctantly

rely

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“Reluctantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctantly. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of reluctantly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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