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# reluctance

noun (reluctance; usually uncountable)

«reluctance» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Not wanting to do something, so that you do it slowly or unwillingly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/#m1)
2. (science) How much a material resists a magnetic field (a technical sense). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/#m2)

### In the lessons

In stories it shows a character's feelings: «with great reluctance, he handed over the ball». In everyday life it describes not wanting to go to bed, eat vegetables or say sorry. Phrases: «with reluctance», «a reluctance to», «show reluctance».

### Examples

- With great reluctance, I turned off the game. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/#x1)
- Her reluctance to go to the dentist was obvious. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/#x2)
- He agreed, but with some reluctance. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/#x3)
- The dog showed reluctance to get into the bath. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/#x4)
- There was a reluctance among the players to change the rules. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/#x5)
- Despite her reluctance, she joined the choir and loved it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/#x6)
- Gladly would she have plucked a flower, but she could not overcome her reluctance to break one off. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/#x7)

### Note

Adjective: «reluctant»; adverb: «reluctantly». Followed by «to + verb»: «a reluctance to leave». Opposite: eagerness, willingness.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «reluctance» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reluctance/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«reluctance» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/reluctance.html) on Mova free.