1
as in stubbornness
a steadfast adherence to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
her unceasing willfulness eventually wore down her critics and opponents
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rebellion
refusal to obey
the trainer was able to correct our dog's willfulness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for willfulness
Noun
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The light pink Rose Blossoming Set gives me a sense of femininity and calmness while the black Serpent dress gives me a feeling of rebellion and power.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025 -
Could today’s culture be encouraging identity shifts as a form of rebellion?—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 June 2025
Noun
-
Medium-bodied with excellent ripeness, good acidity and persistence.—
Tom Hyland,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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That persistence of the idea itself is kind of an artwork.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
5 June 2025
Noun
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But general director Lawrence Edelson struck a note of defiance in his opening remarks on Friday, to cheers.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2025
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The Maryland sheet metal worker was released from prison in El Salvador and put on a plane back to the U.S. two months after he was deported to his homeland in defiance of an order not to return him there for fear of persecution, ABC News first reported.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Campbell’s thirst to learn protected him from obstinacy.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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But as Nicky expands his interests and each man gains power, their lives become entangled in a story of hot temples, obstinacy, money, love and deception.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But also injuries and ailments at all the wrong times, as well as overt self-will at times.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2025
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So for those of us torn between watching the sun get blotted out and getting blotto keeping our attention on a particularly good rock show, this exercise in multi-tasking was a real contest of self-will.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2024
Noun
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Disgraced female Wakandan warrior Noni (voiced by Winnie Harlow), who has been banished from the kingdom’s female elite forces the Dora Milaje for disobedience, is dispatched on a mission to track-down the general and bring him back.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
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In 2016, a British passenger flying Flybe—a now-defunct regional airline—from Amsterdam to Exeter was fined more than $600 for his disobedience.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
12 May 2025
Noun
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The Home Service Insurance segment experienced a decline in premiums, attributed to strategic actions to improve sales quality and persistency, as well as economic pressures such as inflation.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
13 Mar. 2025
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The Home Service Insurance segment experienced a decline in premiums, attributed to strategic actions to improve sales quality and persistency, as well as economic pressures such as inflation.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As for what’s happening in Gaza while the UN dickers, Hamas terrorists hide in their tunnels and ordinary Palestinians pay for their intransigence.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
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The Manhattan court countermanded the intransigence of the court stenographers and directed the daily publication of the Trump transcripts on a court website.—
Nick Akerman,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Willfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willfulness. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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