as in hesitant
slow to begin or proceed with a course of action because of doubts or uncertainty
I'm reluctant to let you borrow my vintage CDs since you never give back anything I lend you
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Recent Examples of reluctant
Powell has his own particular history of being late, with the Fed reluctant to hike when inflation began spiking in 2021.
—
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 10 May 2025
Regardless of the numbers, the pressure of negotiating with the U.S. is putting a spotlight on an ongoing rice crisis in Japan and spurring the possibility of a policy shift for a market historically reluctant to change.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 8 May 2025
But direct involvement may be elusive, as both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are reluctant to reengage militarily in Yemen after years of costly involvement that failed to defeat the Houthis.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025
Jedi-in-training Rey (Daisy Ridley), reluctant hero Finn (John Boyega) and X-wing warrior Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) lead the ragtag Resistance against a returning Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) in a film that's full of logic fumbles and muddies the focus of the third and final trilogy.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctant
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 10 May 2025
Regardless of the numbers, the pressure of negotiating with the U.S. is putting a spotlight on an ongoing rice crisis in Japan and spurring the possibility of a policy shift for a market historically reluctant to change.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 8 May 2025
But direct involvement may be elusive, as both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are reluctant to reengage militarily in Yemen after years of costly involvement that failed to defeat the Houthis.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025
Jedi-in-training Rey (Daisy Ridley), reluctant hero Finn (John Boyega) and X-wing warrior Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) lead the ragtag Resistance against a returning Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) in a film that's full of logic fumbles and muddies the focus of the third and final trilogy.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctant
hesitant
Adjective
-
While some organizations are understandably hesitant to abandon on-premises infrastructure entirely due to concerns over security, regulatory compliance, and data control, the reality is that maintaining an AI-ready on-premises data center often proves cost-prohibitive and operationally unfeasible.—
Ivo Ivanov,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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That prospect has left a number of moderate and vulnerable Republicans hesitant to cut a program that covers their constituents and risk facing political backlash in next year’s elections.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reluctant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctant. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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