reluctancy

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noun

Resistance, opposition.

OriginLatin relū̆ctor →
First used 17th–19th c.Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounreluctancy (usually uncountable, plural reluctancies)

plural reluctancies

  1. obsoleteuncountableusuallyResistance, opposition.First known use 17th–19th c.
  2. archaicuncountableusuallyReluctance, disinclination.First known use 17th c.

Origin

  1. Latinrelū̆ctor“to struggle against, oppose, resist”
  2. Englishreluctancy

From reluct(ant) + -ancy, from Latin relū̆ctor (“to struggle against, oppose, resist”), from re- (“back”) + lū̆ctor (“to struggle”). Doublet of reluctance.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

reluctancy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reluctancy

MLA

“reluctancy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reluctancy. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “reluctancy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reluctancy.

Source: reluctancy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.