variants
or wilful
1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
a particularly willful horse that took weeks to break to saddle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uncontrollable
given to resisting control or discipline by others
finally the parents sought professional counseling for the willful child
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arrogant
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
a willful disregard for the rights of others
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4
as in deliberate
made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing
a willful attempt to cheat her siblings out of their rightful inheritance
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5
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
the kind of willful person who can never bring himself to admit that he made a mistake
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of willful
The owner, who was identified as 30-year-old Olivia Underwood, was arrested for willful or malicious torture, maiming or killing of a dog and was booked into the Clark County Detention Center, police said.
—
Megan Forrester, ABC News, 2 June 2025
But the appeals court affirmed a jury's finding that Cox was guilty of willful contributory infringement, raising the likelihood that ISPs would have to terminate customers accused of piracy to avoid liability.
—ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025
For now, that willful ignorance cannot disguise cold, hard, round numbers.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 May 2025
Grading for equity amounts to willful and moralized deception, including self-deception.
—The Editors, National Review, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for willful
Megan Forrester, ABC News, 2 June 2025
But the appeals court affirmed a jury's finding that Cox was guilty of willful contributory infringement, raising the likelihood that ISPs would have to terminate customers accused of piracy to avoid liability.
—ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025
For now, that willful ignorance cannot disguise cold, hard, round numbers.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 May 2025
Grading for equity amounts to willful and moralized deception, including self-deception.
—The Editors, National Review, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for willful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for willful
Adjective
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Inspired by 1953’s The Wild One starring Marlon Brando, the song and video captures the rebellious spirit of the cult classic, with scenes of a motorcycle being driven on an open road and birds in flight.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2025
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Many historians estimate that at least 15 to 20 percent of the population remained loyal to the crown, some even taking up arms against their rebellious neighbors and fighting alongside the British.—
Greg Daugherty,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes uncontrollable hair loss on the scalp, face, and body.—
Shamsha Damani,
Health,
13 June 2025
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The laptop soon started doing the same thing as the other machine – with the uncontrollable cursor.—
Scott Kramer,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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There is something dangerously, provocatively arrogant about his glorified gang leader looks.—
Timothy Crouse,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2025
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The exiled poet was criticized for his arrogant attempts to influence British and American foreign policy.—
Graham Robb,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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Going the extra mile should be thoughtful and deliberate, creating a lasting impact without breaking the bank.—
Jacob Orrin,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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Investigators were left grasping at smoke, trying to make sense of a pattern that felt deliberate but remained elusive.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Their relationship can be difficult as AM is stubborn and likes to have her way always.—
Carolyn Rosenblatt,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Some of these infections stop on their own, but others are too stubborn, or too serious, to leave untreated.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Kim Kardashian made a defiant walk into Paris' Palace of Justice in May, to face the criminals who held the reality star at gunpoint and robbed in 2016.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
6 June 2025
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In curating the show, Moore sought to elevate artists whose work embodies this tension while also offering something tender, vulnerable, and defiant.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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For being such an opinionated, sure person, this is an element in my life that I’ve never been superattached to a yes or no answer.—
Lulu Garcia-Navarro,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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In a four-episode arc premiering Wednesday, Rodriguez will play Pietro, a vivacious and opinionated party planner hired to help Genoa City royalty Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) plot out her big birthday bash.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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State lawmakers can and should repeal the arbitrary two-year rule.—
Sakinah Tillman,
Baltimore Sun,
4 June 2025
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Officials have often shaken this number off as arbitrary, but agree military spending needs to surge from the 2 percent benchmark of the last decade, and quickly.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Willful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willful. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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