reluctance

[ ri-luhk-tuhns ]

noun

1. unwillingness; disinclination:

   reluctance to speak in public.

2. Electricity. the resistance to magnetic flux offered by a magnetic circuit, determined by the permeability and arrangement of the materials of the circuit.

reluctance

/ rɪˈlʌktəns /

noun

1. lack of eagerness or willingness; disinclination
2. physics a measure of the resistance of a closed magnetic circuit to a magnetic flux, equal to the ratio of the magnetomotive force to the magnetic flux

Other Words From

• prere·luctance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reluctance¹

First recorded in 1635–45; reluct(ant) + -ance

Example Sentences

At least two of those relationships with civilian Pentagon chiefs — retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis and Army combat veteran Mark Esper — resulted in open acrimony, despite a long-standing reluctance on the part of current and retired military officers to publicly criticize the commander in chief.

From Los Angeles Times

One significant element of this failure is a reluctance to understand or recognize that today’s Republican Party is more of a front organization than a traditional political party.

From Salon

If the fire weather is working on your nerves, remember what’s really to blame, beneath it all: our continued reluctance to stop burning fossil fuels.

From Slate

Rothchild notes that a bad faith conflation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, or a reluctance to criticize actions of the State of Israel even when they violate international law, has led to a culture of silence and fear within the medical community.

From Salon

One of her biographers, former CNN reporter Kate Bennett, maintains she did despite her early reluctance.

From BBC

Related Words

• hesitancy
• hesitation
• objection
• unwillingness