reluctantly
adverb
re·luc·tant·ly
ri-ˈlək-tənt-lē 
: 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
Elizabeth George SpeareHe is about to release 'Thriller,' and today he's agreed, reluctantly, to sit for the Rolling Stone cover.—Gerri Hirshey
Gerri HirsheyKirsti 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
Lois LowryExamples of reluctantly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Exhausted, defeated, and out of options, Alex reluctantly agrees to travel with the kind Brits, who've invited her to join them on the next leg of their trip.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 23 Mar. 2025
John reluctantly agrees, but things don’t go quite as planned.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The film runs a lean 80 minutes, dipping into Get Out and Rosemary’s Baby territory as Yvonne begins to doubt — and then reluctantly embrace — the eeriness of her roommates’ rustic nonchalance.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
Ars Video In the movie, Michelle and Cosmo reluctantly join forces with a smuggler named Keats (Chris Pratt) and his wisecracking robot sidekick, Herman (Anthony Mackie).
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctantly
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Matt Cabral, EW.com, 23 Mar. 2025
John reluctantly agrees, but things don’t go quite as planned.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The film runs a lean 80 minutes, dipping into Get Out and Rosemary’s Baby territory as Yvonne begins to doubt — and then reluctantly embrace — the eeriness of her roommates’ rustic nonchalance.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
Ars Video In the movie, Michelle and Cosmo reluctantly join forces with a smuggler named Keats (Chris Pratt) and his wisecracking robot sidekick, Herman (Anthony Mackie).
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reluctantly
Cite this Entry
“Reluctantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctantly. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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