reluctant

adjective

ri-LUK-tuhnt/ɹɪˈlʌktənt/

3 meanings of reluctant

1
adjective
Not wanting to do something, often because you feel unsure or afraid.
Like dragging your feet when you really don't want to go somewhere.
She was reluctant to leave her friends behind.
He gave a reluctant nod and finally agreed to help.
Similarunwilling, disinclined, loath, grudging
Oppositewilling, eager, keen
Note
2
adjective
Set to match as few characters as possible when searching through text.
Like grabbing only one cookie instead of the whole jar.
A reluctant quantifier stops as soon as it finds a match.
Make the pattern reluctant so it grabs the shortest possible text.
Similarlazy
Oppositegreedy
Note
3
adjectivearchaic
Pushing back against control, and refusing to obey or give in.
Like a dog that pulls hard against its leash and won't budge.
The reluctant mule pulled hard against the rope and would not move.
Many of the inhabitants were reluctant against the measure, and are still so obstinate that they must be compelled to do their duty.
1866, H. Hjaltelin, “On the Treatment of Virulent and Zymotic Diseases”Here, reluctant means stubbornly against something, refusing to obey.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Latin reluctor, meaning "to struggle against." It joins re- ("back") and luctor ("to struggle").