reluctant of

USAGE SUMMARY

"reluctant of" is not considered to be an idiom or phrasal verb in standard English.
If you want to describe someone as being reluctant, you could say "reluctant to" instead, followed by an infinitive verb. For example: John was reluctant to accept the offer.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

27 human-written examples

Jennifer Capriati is the most reluctant of interviewees.

The Guardian - Sport

Mr. Cheney was the most reluctant of campaigners.

The New York Times

Getting that message through to people who are reluctant, of course, will always be a problem.

The New York Times

Only eight other men have done so, and he might just be the most reluctant of them.

Independent

If this most reluctant of superstars doesn't yearn to win Sunday's contest for himself, then what about his sport?

Independent

No bowler was more dear to me, however, than Angus Fraser, the most reluctant of sporting heroes.

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

32 human-written examples

Bell's attitude of reluctant acceptance of the economic benefits of drug trafficking was shared by many people I spoke with.

Vice

They are reluctant out of a fear that new initiatives will cost a lot of time.

BMC Health Services Research

Near the time Charlayne and Hamilton graduated, there was a kind of reluctant acceptance of their existence.

The New Yorker

We consider the uniform random generation of reluctant walks of length n in the positive quadrant, noting that a naive rejection from unconstrained walks has exponential time complexity.

Electronic Notes in Discrete Mathematics

— JOHN ARQUILLA, professor of defense analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School and author of "Worst Enemy: The Reluctant Transformation of the American Military".

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "reluctant of" in your writing. Instead, use "reluctant to" followed by a verb, or consider alternatives like "wary of" or "hesitant about" for grammatical accuracy.

Common error

A common mistake is to pair "reluctant" with the preposition "of". Always remember that "reluctant" should be followed by "to" + verb (e.g., "reluctant to go") or replaced with a phrase that correctly uses prepositions, such as "wary of" or "hesitant about".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "reluctant of" functions as a prepositional phrase intending to express hesitation or unwillingness. However, it's important to note that Ludwig AI flags this construction as grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "reluctant to" followed by a verb.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "reluctant of" is grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI identifies it as such, and no examples of correct usage were found in the provided data. The correct form is "reluctant to" followed by a verb (e.g., "reluctant to speak") or using alternative phrases like "wary of" or "hesitant about". Therefore, avoid using "reluctant of" in your writing to maintain grammatical accuracy and clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

reluctant to

Replaces the incorrect preposition "of" with the correct infinitive marker "to", providing grammatical accuracy.

hesitant about

Uses "hesitant", a synonym for "reluctant", followed by the correct preposition "about".

wary of

Replaces "reluctant" with "wary", indicating caution or lack of trust, while maintaining grammatical correctness with "of".

averse to

Employs "averse", suggesting a strong dislike or opposition, along with the appropriate preposition "to".

disinclined to

Uses "disinclined", meaning unwilling or unenthusiastic, followed by the correct infinitive marker "to".

resistant to

Indicates opposition or unwillingness to accept something, paired with the correct preposition "to".

opposed to

Signifies active resistance or disagreement, linked with the suitable preposition "to".

against

A single-word preposition indicating opposition or disagreement.

uneasy about

Expresses discomfort or anxiety regarding something, using the correct preposition "about".

unenthusiastic about

Indicates a lack of excitement or eagerness, followed by the correct preposition "about".

FAQs

How should I correctly use "reluctant" in a sentence?

The correct form is "reluctant to" followed by a verb. For example, "He was "reluctant to speak" about the incident."

What are some alternatives to "reluctant of"?

Since "reluctant of" is incorrect, you can use alternatives like "reluctant to", "hesitant about", or "wary of", depending on the intended meaning.

Is "reluctant of" grammatically correct?

No, "reluctant of" is not grammatically correct. The correct usage is "reluctant to" followed by a verb in the infinitive form.

Which is correct: "reluctant to" or "reluctant of"?

"Reluctant to" is the correct form. "Reluctant of" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in formal writing.