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
Later in the season, Sugar and his confidant Ruby (Kirby) reluctantly attend a reunion event with other members of a secret society, all of whom speak a plethora of languages.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 4 May 2024
And Redstone is said to have reluctantly concluded that a deal with David Ellison’s Skydance, a longtime partner of Paramount Pictures, will not be possible.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 May 2024
Faced with that complication, Nippon reluctantly withdrew its offer.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 3 May 2024
Gita’s Escape In the book, Gita and four other women from the camp escape their transport from Auschwitz to another camp and arrive at the door of a Polish family, who reluctantly take them in.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024
But their numbers soared when the conflict began and millions of refugees fled Ukraine, many of them reluctantly leaving behind their pets.
—Vivien Fellegi, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes (Thibault de Montalembert), reluctantly works to convince King Louis XVI to come to America’s aid.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Simpson's trial made its judge, attorneys and witnesses infamous, including Johnnie Cochran and (reluctantly) Marcia Clark, and played a crucial role in launching Court TV, plus the careers of the Kardashians, Kato Kaelin and more.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Myanmar’s junta has reluctantly turned to China for support, and Beijing, initially displeased with the coup, has begun inserting itself into the conflict and country more forcefully than in the past.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 4 May 2024
And Redstone is said to have reluctantly concluded that a deal with David Ellison’s Skydance, a longtime partner of Paramount Pictures, will not be possible.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 May 2024
Faced with that complication, Nippon reluctantly withdrew its offer.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 3 May 2024
Gita’s Escape In the book, Gita and four other women from the camp escape their transport from Auschwitz to another camp and arrive at the door of a Polish family, who reluctantly take them in.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024
But their numbers soared when the conflict began and millions of refugees fled Ukraine, many of them reluctantly leaving behind their pets.
—Vivien Fellegi, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes (Thibault de Montalembert), reluctantly works to convince King Louis XVI to come to America’s aid.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Simpson's trial made its judge, attorneys and witnesses infamous, including Johnnie Cochran and (reluctantly) Marcia Clark, and played a crucial role in launching Court TV, plus the careers of the Kardashians, Kato Kaelin and more.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Myanmar’s junta has reluctantly turned to China for support, and Beijing, initially displeased with the coup, has begun inserting itself into the conflict and country more forcefully than in the past.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reluctantly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near reluctantly
Cite this Entry
“Reluctantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctantly. Accessed 10 May. 2024.
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