Meanings
plural reluctances
- countableuncountableUnwillingness to do something.
Our new dog shows reluctance to go on walks, preferring to be indoors.
- countableuncountableHesitancy in taking some action.
- archaiccountableuncountableDefiance, disobedience.
No more be mention’d then of violence / Against our selves, and wilful barrenness, / That cuts us off fom hope, and favours onely / Rancor and pride, impatience and despite, / Reluctance against God and his just yoke / Laid on our Necks.
1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 1041–6 - countableuncountablenatural sciencesThat property of a magnetic circuit analogous to resistance in an electric circuit.
That is to say, the total number of ampere-hours, including the drop of gilbertage, due to magnetic flux traversing the reluctance of the circuit, must be equal to zero.
1903, The Electrical World and Engineer, volume 42, page 369
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna certain degree of unwillingness
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian неохота, нежелание
- неохота (neohota)unwillingness to do something
- нежелание (neželanie)unwillingness to do something
- магнитно съпротивление (magnitno săprotivlenie)magnetic resistance
Catalan reluctància
- reluctànciamagnetic resistance
Chinese Mandarin 勉强, 犹豫
- 勉强unwillingness to do something
- 犹豫 (yóuyù)hesitancy in taking some action
- 磁阻 (cízǔ)magnetic resistance
Czech váhavost
- váhavosthesitancy in taking some action
Danish utilbøjelighed
- utilbøjelighedunwillingness to do something
Dutch tegenzin, tegenzin
- tegenzinunwillingness to do something
- tegenzinhesitancy in taking some action
- magnetische weerstandmagnetic resistance
Esperanto malvolo, sindetenemo
- malvolounwillingness to do something
- sindetenemounwillingness to do something
Estonian vastumeelsus
- vastumeelsusunwillingness to do something
Finnish vastahakoisuus, haluttomuus
- vastahakoisuusunwillingness to do something
- haluttomuusunwillingness to do something
- haluttomuushesitancy in taking some action
- reluktanssimagnetic resistance
French réticence, réluctance
- réticenceunwillingness to do something
- réluctancemagnetic resistance
German Widerstreben, Widerwillen
- Widerstrebenunwillingness to do something
- Widerwillenunwillingness to do something
- Widerwilleunwillingness to do something
- Zögernhesitancy in taking some action
- Zaudernhesitancy in taking some action
- Zögerlichkeithesitancy in taking some action
Greek επιφυλακτικότητα
- επιφυλακτικότητα (epifylaktikótita)unwillingness to do something
Hindi अनिच्छा
- अनिच्छा (anicchā)unwillingness to do something
Irish drogall, mífhonn
- drogallunwillingness to do something
- mífhonnunwillingness to do something
- leisceunwillingness to do something
- leiscehesitancy in taking some action
Italian riluttanza
- riluttanzaunwillingness to do something
Māori horokukū, koroukore
- horokukūunwillingness to do something
- koroukoreunwillingness to do something
Norwegian Bokmål motvilje
- motviljeunwillingness to do something
Polish niechęć, wahanie
- niechęćunwillingness to do something
- wahaniehesitancy in taking some action
- reluktancjamagnetic resistance
- rezystencja magnetycznamagnetic resistance
- opór magnetycznymagnetic resistance
Portuguese relutância, hesitação
- relutânciaunwillingness to do something
- hesitaçãounwillingness to do something
- relutânciahesitancy in taking some action
- hesitaçãohesitancy in taking some action
- relutânciamagnetic resistance
Romanian repulsie, ezitare
- repulsieunwillingness to do something
- ezitarehesitancy in taking some action
- codirehesitancy in taking some action
- reluctanțămagnetic resistance
Russian неохо́та, нежела́ние
- неохо́та (neoxóta)unwillingness to do something
- нежела́ние (neželánije)unwillingness to do something
Spanish reluctancia, renuencia
- reluctanciaunwillingness to do something
- renuenciaunwillingness to do something
- reaciedadunwillingness to do something
- reluctanciamagnetic resistance
Tamil தயக்கம், தயக்கம்
- தயக்கம் (tayakkam)unwillingness to do something
- தயக்கம் (tayakkam)hesitancy in taking some action
Turkish isteksizlik
- isteksizlikunwillingness to do something
Cite this entry
reluctance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reluctance
“reluctance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reluctance. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “reluctance,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reluctance.
Source: reluctance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.