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unwilling

UK/ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ/US/ʌnˈwɪlɪŋ/
adjectiveB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #7,886 of 15,258leans written

Unwilling means not wanting to do what is asked. You may still do it, but not gladly.

It takes to and a verb: unwilling to answer, unwilling to move. The distinction from reluctant is fine, since reluctant suggests hesitation that might be overcome and unwilling suggests a settled no. It also works in front of a noun to mean forced, as in an unwilling participant. The noun is unwillingness, and the opposite pair, willing and willingness, behave in exactly the same way.

Definitions of unwilling

  1. 1adjectiveunwillingNot wanting to do something.B2

    “He was unwilling to explain where he had been.”

Where it comes from

  1. Old English

    willende

  2. English

    willing

  3. English, today

    unwilling

From un- + willing. willing adjective Old English willende, present participle of willan*

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove, Word Building

First appears in chapter 29 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

unwilling in the wild

  • Berinkey was unwilling to accept the note, as it would have endangered the country's territorial integrity.

    Dénes Berinkey

  • Unable or unwilling to send someone from his own church, Pope Mark evidently suggested that Bishop Ahatallah go to India instead.

    Pope Mark VI of Alexandria

  • The government, however, was unwilling to recognise Hindi.

    Nepal Terai Congress

  • Many in the two major parties however, while maybe agreeing with Butler's message and platform, were unwilling to place their support beyond the party line.

    1884 Greenback National Convention

  • Organ transplants from donors who are unwilling, or incapable of objecting, to having their organs removed are a recurring theme in dystopian fiction.

    Organ transplantation in fiction

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the willende family

willing

unwilling — used about once every 2,903 pages · #7,886 · point at the bar for the others

  • willingly