reluctantly

[ ri-luhk-tuhnt-lee ]

adverb

1. without really wanting to; unwillingly:

   I told her to take a break, just for one moment, and she reluctantly pulled away from her work.

Other Words From

• half-re·luc·tant·ly adverb
• un·re·luc·tant·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of reluctantly¹

reluctant ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Far too many voters drifted away or fell asleep by the second slide and concluded — reluctantly, in many cases — that given the options, smashing things sounded like a lot more fun.

From Salon

The singer and songwriter with the Olympic-athlete-level voice was already a Grammy-winning superstar when she reluctantly took her record label’s suggestion to make a holiday album.

From Los Angeles Times

Many long-time readers said they were dropping The Times reluctantly but felt they had no other choice.

From Los Angeles Times

The couple reluctantly agreed to sell their caravan back to the park for £17,000 after negotiating with the sales team.

From BBC

The population decline is already causing labor shortages in agriculture and manufacturing, and South Korea has reluctantly turned to workers from less developed Asian countries to help plug the gap.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• carefully
• cautiously
• hesitantly
• unwillingly
• warily