reluctance

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /rɪˈlʌktəns/ UK /rɪˈlʌktəns/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
unwillingness or hesitation to do something

He agreed to testify, but only with great reluctance.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · unwillingness or hesitation... unwillingness hesitation disinclination aversion hesitancyloathness

Opposites

willingness eagerness enthusiasm readiness

Word family

Related forms reluctant reluctantly

Etymology

From reluctant + -ance, from Latin reluctari ('to struggle against'), from re- ('against') + luctari ('to struggle, wrestle').

reluctari Latin luctari Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# reluctance

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /rɪˈlʌktəns/
**IPA (UK):** /rɪˈlʌktəns/

## Meanings
1. unwillingness or hesitation to do something

## Examples
- He agreed to testify, but only with great reluctance.

## Synonyms
- unwillingness
- hesitation
- disinclination
- aversion
- hesitancy
- loathness

## Antonyms
- willingness
- eagerness
- enthusiasm
- readiness

## Related Forms
- reluctant
- reluctantly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: reluctari
- Root: luctari

## Etymology
From reluctant + -ance, from Latin reluctari ('to struggle against'), from re- ('against') + luctari ('to struggle, wrestle').

## AI Etymology
Reluctance comes from reluctant + -ance, from Latin reluctari ('to struggle against'), from re- ('against') + luctari ('to struggle, wrestle'). The historical chain includes Latin reluctari and Latin luctari. Older glosses in the chain include "to struggle against", "against", and "to struggle, wrestle", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, reluctance is best read as compound, suffixal formation, and borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "unwillingness or hesitation to do something". related forms include reluctant and reluctantly. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

markdown