Unwillingness Meaning
/əˈnwɪlɪŋnɪs/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe property of being unwilling.
Sentence Examples
Tom's unwillingness to help surprised Mary.
The greatest difficulty of all is the unwillingness.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
Despite the team's ____ to accept the new safety rules, the manager insisted they comply.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The manager's ____ to listen to the team's concerns caused a lot of frustration and several many arguments today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English unwilling Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English unwillingness From unwilling + -ness.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In the second extract, the teacher formulated Anna's resistance as reported by Tonie as a prewillingness rather than unwillingness. She constructed Anna's prewillingness as founded in her precompetence, rather than incompetence."
— 2005, Helena Austin, Bronwyn Dwyer, Peter Freebody, Schooling the Child: The Making of Students in Classrooms:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Despite the team's ____ to accept the new safety rules, the manager insisted they comply.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The manager's ____ to listen to the team's concerns caused a lot of frustration and several many arguments today.