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
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
Blanchett stars as an infamous bounty hunter, Lilith, with a mysterious past who reluctantly returns to her home planet, Pandora.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
The armed forces, which had joined last year’s initiative only reluctantly, ceased coöperating.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Dunst plays Lee Smith, a seasoned and tenacious war photographer who reluctantly becomes a mentor to Cailee Spaeny’s aspiring photographer, Jessie Cullen.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
The six unlikely heroes reluctantly take on the task of bringing the only vaccine against the plague of idiots to a safe place, where Norway’s smartest minds have sought refuge.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
This leads the team to Rep. Shirley Ives (Mandy Levin), who led the hearing and reluctantly shows Parker and Vance (Rocky Carroll) footage of Greene spotting a flying vehicle performing right-angle turns, avoiding radar, and reversing directions on a dime.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2024
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
Blanchett stars as an infamous bounty hunter, Lilith, with a mysterious past who reluctantly returns to her home planet, Pandora.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
The armed forces, which had joined last year’s initiative only reluctantly, ceased coöperating.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Dunst plays Lee Smith, a seasoned and tenacious war photographer who reluctantly becomes a mentor to Cailee Spaeny’s aspiring photographer, Jessie Cullen.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
The six unlikely heroes reluctantly take on the task of bringing the only vaccine against the plague of idiots to a safe place, where Norway’s smartest minds have sought refuge.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
This leads the team to Rep. Shirley Ives (Mandy Levin), who led the hearing and reluctantly shows Parker and Vance (Rocky Carroll) footage of Greene spotting a flying vehicle performing right-angle turns, avoiding radar, and reversing directions on a dime.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 1 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 27 Apr. 2024.
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