Added 9 October 2026
reluctant
/ɹɪˈlʌktənt/ adjective
In Latin: invītus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about reluctant at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom.
a reluctant smile
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Disinclined to become involved.
they were usually reluctant to socialize
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Not eager.
foreigners stubbornly reluctant to accept our ways
Origin
Learned borrowing from Latin reluctāns (whence -ant), present participle of reluctor (“to struggle against, oppose, resist”), from re- (“back”) + luctor (“to struggle”) (whence re-.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)