as in hesitantly
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Recent Examples of reluctantly
After reluctantly getting the group on board with Mother's wishes, Sam and the group devise a plan to get Mother out to the cave — despite Blaine having blocked off all of the exits from The Boroughs.
—
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
These are not concessions to fairness that growth must reluctantly absorb.
—Nick Hanauer, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026
Trump blustered and lied and displayed himself in the worst possible light, of course, but Reza Pahlavi, the Shah’s son who lives in the United States and who many Iranians had reluctantly come to regard as a possible leader, also played his hand extremely badly.
—Daniel Drake, The New York Review of Books, 16 May 2026
But both are good at solving crimes, and here in season 2, Eddie is reluctantly stuck in her hometown when an arm turns up in the mouth of a dead alligator, and many more body parts arrive over time.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctantly
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
These are not concessions to fairness that growth must reluctantly absorb.
—Nick Hanauer, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026
Trump blustered and lied and displayed himself in the worst possible light, of course, but Reza Pahlavi, the Shah’s son who lives in the United States and who many Iranians had reluctantly come to regard as a possible leader, also played his hand extremely badly.
—Daniel Drake, The New York Review of Books, 16 May 2026
But both are good at solving crimes, and here in season 2, Eddie is reluctantly stuck in her hometown when an arm turns up in the mouth of a dead alligator, and many more body parts arrive over time.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for reluctantly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reluctantly
Adverb
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The many attending assistants around her eventually disperse — a little hesitantly because Sam is in the middle of preparing a new show — and the two withdraw to Sam’s cavernous studio.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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Only the bravest walked hesitantly toward the well.—
Mery Mogollón,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Two years after his death, and even longer since Missing Richard Simmons forced him unwillingly into the public eye, Diane Sawyer is trying to get to the bottom of why the fitness guru hid inside his house for a decade.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
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The Ada County Highway District is a gubernatorial signature away from unwillingly adopting a countywide, partisan vote after the Legislature passed an 11th-hour bill to overhaul how the district’s board is elected.—
Mark Dee
April 4,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reluctantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reluctantly. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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