ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsRreluctant
ISEE/SSATmedium
reluctant
Meaning: unwilling or hesitant to do something
reluctant in a sentence
How reluctant is used in real sentences:
Maria was reluctant to leave the warm cabin for the snowy trail.
The witness was reluctant to answer any more questions from the lawyer.
“Several trustees were reluctant to choose either plan; they hesitated because both sides presented useful evidence.”
— from the passage The Brightness Debate
Synonyms for reluctant
Other words for reluctant — unwilling, hesitant and loath — carry the same meaning.
- unwilling
- hesitant
- loath
Antonyms of reluctant
Words that mean the opposite of reluctant:
- eager
- willing
Where it comes from
From Latin reluctari 'to struggle against'
Word parts
- re — back, again
reluctant: re- (against) + luct (struggle)
Memory hook
RE-LUCT-ant — you LUCK out if you can avoid doing the thing you dread.