reluctantly

adverb

re·​luc·​tant·​ly ri-ˈlək-tənt-lē How to pronounce reluctantly (audio)
: in a reluctant manner : with aversion or hesitation
The quiet resolution in his voice penetrated her racing thoughts. Reluctantly she gave him a corner of her attention.Elizabeth George Speare
He is about to release 'Thriller,' and today he's agreed, reluctantly, to sit for the Rolling Stone cover.Gerri Hirshey
Kirsti had gone to bed reluctantly, complaining that she wanted to stay up with the others, that she was grownup enough, … that it wasn't fair.Lois Lowry

Examples of reluctantly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Antony becomes United’s first departure of the winter transfer window, while the club would reluctantly consider the sales of academy graduates Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford is also available. Sam Joseph, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025 Naturally, that makes a hero of the last president to pull it off — even if McKinley did so reluctantly and had more than a few regrets before he was assassinated by an anarchist. David E. Sanger, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025 Strangers in the Same Shirt Director/Screenwriter: Anthon Chase Johnson, Producers: Lauralee Gonzalez, Andrew Scott James, Clay Connor Dean Estranged siblings reluctantly reunite at their father’s third wedding, where unresolved tensions flare. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2025 Emotionally raw, and alone in the city, Ari reluctantly forces himself to rekindle his relationships with old friends. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 22 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for reluctantly 

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reluctantly was in 1646

Dictionary Entries Near reluctantly

Cite this Entry

“Reluctantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctantly. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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