Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use reluctantly in a sentence

27 example sentences · adverb

Reluctantly means in a reluctant or hesitant manner. Example: “They latched onto the idea and gave it up only reluctantly.”

Examples of reluctantly by meaning

adverbIn a reluctant or hesitant manner.

  • Then I had a good think on the subject of the hocussing of Cigarette, and I was reluctantly bound to admit that once again the man in the corner had found the only possible solution to the mystery.1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Hocussing of Cigarette”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin...

More sentences with reluctantly

  • They latched onto the idea and gave it up only reluctantly.From the entry latch onto
  • “Apparently, when everyone reluctantly explained their various lifely circumstances, you made no comments whatsoever.2013, Davina Worton, Someday. From the entry lifely
  • Most attend school reluctantly and some 'beak off' (play truant) regularly.1996, John Sugden, Boxing and Society: An International Analysis, page 102. From the entry beak off
  • Reluctantly, the specktioneer's boat was left to make the best of its own way to Iceland.1935, The Scots Magazine, volume 24, page 139. From the entry specktioneer
  • He never "revolted" against Christianity; only, reluctantly and gradually, disbelieved it.1923, David Alec Wilson, Life of Carlyle, volume 1, page 79. From the entry disbelieve
  • The two holdouts are swiftly carted away by the guards, while the third, Rhaenyra’s faithful Lord Caswell (Paul Hickey), reluctantly kneels.2022 October 16, Jenna Scherer, “An enticing House Of The Dragon crowns Westeros' new ruler”, in AV Club, archived from the original on 20…. From the entry holdout
  • Many foreigners who learn to speak High German complain that Swiss people only reluctantly reply in High German.2016, Nicole Egger, Hoi: Your New Swiss German Survival Guide, page 15. From the entry High German
  • Silence settles once more between us all, filled only by the gingerest of clinks of forks reluctantly hovering over flesh.2015, James Hannah, “Rib”, in The A to Z of You and Me, London: Black Swan, Transworld Publishers, →ISBN, page 221. From the entry ginger
  • Finally, she reluctantly piled in with me, complaining the while.2012, Tracy Saunders, The Indalo Quest, page 71. From the entry the while
  • Reluctantly she took the rolled flatcake, but waited until he had begun eating his before taking her first tentative bite.2012, Mo Yan, Howard Goldblatt, The Garlic Ballads. From the entry flatcake
  • He reluctantly took the map from his camouflage fatigue pocket.1998, William T. Craig, Team Sergeant: A Special Forces NCO at Lang Vei and Beyond, New York, N.Y.: Ivy Books, →ISBN, page 27. From the entry fatigue
  • The robot let out a long heartfelt sigh of impassioned tristesse and sank reluctantly away from the ceiling.1992, Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), page 52. From the entry tristesse
  • Peter moved reluctantly houseward, and Suzanna ended: "Isn't it fine that today was teachers' meeting so we could have a holiday?"1915, Emily Calvin Blake, Suzanna Stirs the Fire. From the entry houseward
  • He may not be able to become a pagan or a Chaldean, but he can become—however partially and reluctantly—a Patmosian, since the Apocalypse of St.2018, Sanja Bahun, Myth, Literature, and the Unconscious, →ISBN. From the entry Patmosian
  • Reluctantly Raj used his fingernail to prise away the bogie he had long since sneezed up there and popped it in his mouth.2012, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Ratburger, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN. From the entry bogie
  • The best I could do was force myself to place a slice of bread in the toaster and then reluctantly nibble on the crust.2007, Tessa Wigney, Kerrie Eyers, Gordon Parker, editors, Journeys with the Black Dog: Inspirational Stories of Bringing Depression to…. From the entry icecream shop
  • Tenderly, reluctantly, he took his leave of her, promising that he would contact her directly he got back, perhaps in ten days or so.1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 725. From the entry directly
  • The producers reluctantly agreed to this.1971 August 13, “MoD try to gag programme”, in Peace News, number 1832, page 4. From the entry Auntie Beeb
  • For months he insisted that he did not want the nomination, would not seek it, and would only reluctantly accept a genuine draft.1964 July 12, “Republicans: The Man on the Bandwagon”, in Time. From the entry Goldwater Republican
  • I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings of triumph and sorrow I must admit, as I watched the Mulley come swimming along reluctantly, a beautiful, sleek supple black-seeming fish.2013, Simren Kaur, Fin Feather and Field, page 134. From the entry mulley
  • I insisted we share the driving and, after we pulled in for a tank of petrol one hour into our drive, she reluctantly let me take over.2008, Alan McMonagle, Liar, Liar. From the entry give it some welly
  • Wednesday morning, the opening day of the show, I took a final tour of the lily beds and reluctantly concluded that I did not have a single showworthy stem.2002, The Lily Yearbook, number 55, page 46. From the entry showworthy
  • But paralleling what can only be called a golden age of medical science, there is what I must reluctantly refer to as a dark age of health-care delivery.2000, Sylvan Lee Weinberg, The Golden Age of Medical Science and the Dark Age of Healthcare Delivery. From the entry dark age
  • I never do weddings, for no other reason than that they are not my cup of tea, but as this was quid pro quo, I succumbed, albeit reluctantly.1971, The British Journal of Photography, volume 118, H. Greenwood, page 19. From the entry someone's cup of tea
  • Reluctantly Cora handed up the basket and was hauled up over the splash-board herself, and bumped down on the chaffbags as Ted Farrell clicked up the horse again.1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 168. From the entry splashboard
  • Reluctantly Bradly unrolled the canvas, which the trooper took from him to hold at arm's length, shutting one eye and crocking his neck sideways in a severe exercise of connoisseurship.1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 155. From the entry connoisseurship

Meaning of reluctantly

  1. adverb In a reluctant or hesitant manner.

Full definition of reluctantly

Questions about reluctantly in a sentence

How do you use reluctantly in a sentence?
Reluctantly is used as an adverb. For example: “They latched onto the idea and gave it up only reluctantly.”
What is a short sentence with reluctantly?
“The producers reluctantly agreed to this.”
What does reluctantly mean?
Reluctantly means in a reluctant or hesitant manner.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: reluctantly (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use reluctantly in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/reluctantly. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.