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adjective
1.
unwilling; disinclined: a reluctant candidate.
2.
struggling in opposition.
Origin:
1655–65; < Latin reluctant- (stem of reluctāns), present participle of reluctārī. See reluct, -ant
1655–65; < Latin reluctant- (stem of reluctāns), present participle of reluctārī. See reluct, -ant
Related forms
re·luc·tant·ly, adverb
half-re·luc·tant, adjective
half-re·luc·tant·ly, adverb
un·re·luc·tant, adjective
un·re·luc·tant·ly, adverb
Can be confused: 1. reluctant, reticent (see synonym note at the current entry); 2. reticent, reluctant.
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.
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.
1. willing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Reluctant
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
reluctant
"unwilling," 1660s, from L. reluctantem, prp. of reluctari (see reluctance). Related: Reluctantly.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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