What does reluctant mean?

reluctant means "unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in reluctant?

reluctant has 3 syllables: re-luc-tant. The stress falls on "luc". In IPA it is /ɹɪˈlʌktənt/.

What is another word for reluctant?

Close synonyms include loath, loth. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is reluctant a common word?

reluctant is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

reluctant — meaning, pronunciation and 3 definitions

adjective

3 sensesA word that describes or qualifies a noun.

1.
unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom
“a reluctant smile”
“loath to admit a mistake”
Synonymsloath loth
Similarunwilling
2.
disinclined to become involved
“they were usually reluctant to socialize”
“reluctant to help”
Similardisinclined
3.
not eager
“foreigners stubbornly reluctant to accept our ways”
“fresh from college and reluctant for the moment to marry him”
Similaruneager

Questions about reluctant

What does reluctant mean?: reluctant means "unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in reluctant?: reluctant has 3 syllables: re-luc-tant. The stress falls on "luc". In IPA it is /ɹɪˈlʌktənt/.
What is another word for reluctant?: Close synonyms include loath, loth. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is reluctant a common word?: reluctant is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for reluctant come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.

adjective

3 sensesA word that describes or qualifies a noun.

1.
unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom
“a reluctant smile”
“loath to admit a mistake”
Synonymsloath loth
Similarunwilling
2.
disinclined to become involved
“they were usually reluctant to socialize”
“reluctant to help”
Similardisinclined
3.
not eager
“foreigners stubbornly reluctant to accept our ways”
“fresh from college and reluctant for the moment to marry him”
Similaruneager

Questions about reluctant

What does reluctant mean?: reluctant means "unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in reluctant?: reluctant has 3 syllables: re-luc-tant. The stress falls on "luc". In IPA it is /ɹɪˈlʌktənt/.
What is another word for reluctant?: Close synonyms include loath, loth. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is reluctant a common word?: reluctant is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

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reluctant

adjective

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reluctant

adjective

Questions about reluctant