reluctance

UK: /rɪˈlʌktəns/ US: (ri luk′təns)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•luc•tance  (ri luk′təns), n. 

1. unwillingness;
   disinclination:
   reluctance to speak in public.
2. Electricity the resistance to magnetic flux offered by a magnetic circuit, determined by the permeability and arrangement of the materials of the circuit.

Also, re•luc′tan•cy. 

• reluct(ant) + -ance 1635–45

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

reluctance / rɪˈlʌktəns/, (less commonly)reluctancy noun

1. lack of eagerness or willingness; disinclination
2. a measure of the resistance of a closed magnetic circuit to a magnetic flux, equal to the ratio of the magnetomotive force to the magnetic flux

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•luc•tant /rɪˈlʌktənt/   adj. 

1. unwilling;
   not inclined to do something:
   a reluctant candidate.
2. marked by hesitation or slowness because of unwillingness:
   a reluctant promise.

re•luc•tance, n. [uncountable]
re•luc•tant•ly, adv.: 

He agreed reluctantly.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•luc•tant  (ri luk′tənt), adj. 

1. unwilling;
   disinclined:
   a reluctant candidate.
2. struggling in opposition.

• Latin reluctant- (stem of reluctāns), present participle of reluctārī. See reluct, -ant
• 1655–65

re•luc′tant•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 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.

Antonyms

• 1. willing.