Word a Day
reluctant
What does reluctant mean?
reluctant (adjective): not wanting to take some action; unwilling to do something.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you use reluctant in a sentence?
- Surprisingly, our new dog is a reluctant ball-retriever. (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0)
How do you pronounce reluctant?
/ɹɪˈlʌktənt/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does reluctant come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin reluctāns (whence -ant), present participle of reluctor (“to struggle against, oppose, resist”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Words related to reluctant
From Princeton WordNet 3.1.
Test yourself: do you know “reluctant”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “reluctant” mean?
suitable for a particular person or place or condition etc
Not quite: that's what appropriate means.
not limited or hampered; not under compulsion or restraint
Not quite: that's what free means.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
Not quite: that's what glad means.
not wanting to take some action; unwilling to do something
Right! That's what “reluctant” means.
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