willing

adjective

will·​ing ˈwi-liŋ 

1

: inclined or favorably disposed in mind : ready

willing and eager to help

2

: prompt to act or respond

lending a willing hand

3

: done, borne, or accepted by choice or without reluctance

a willing sacrifice

4

: of or relating to the will or power of choosing : volitional

willingly

ˈwi-liŋ-lē 

adverb

willingness noun

Synonyms of willing

• ready
• inclined
• glad

Choose the Right Synonym for willing

voluntary, intentional, deliberate, willing mean done or brought about of one's own will.

voluntary implies freedom and spontaneity of choice or action without external compulsion.

a voluntary confession

intentional stresses an awareness of an end to be achieved.

the intentional concealment of vital information

deliberate implies full consciousness of the nature of one's act and its consequences.

deliberate acts of sabotage

willing implies a readiness and eagerness to accede to or anticipate the wishes of another.

willing obedience

Examples of willing in a Sentence

He was a willing participant in the crime.

She's lending a willing hand.

Recent Examples on the Web

In a sector chasing the same limited pool of funding, Stapp has found that the organizations doing the most good are the ones willing to share expertise and refer people elsewhere rather than guard their turf. — Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Hundreds of millions of barrels of oil finally escaped the Strait of Hormuz last month, only to find few willing buyers. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 21 July 2026

His lawyers countered that Binaggia would be willing to continue speaking with the prosecutors without any Kastigar letter. — Jay Weaver july 21, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026

The plan marks a new direction for Applied Intuition, which made a name for itself signing up major companies like Porsche, Isuzu and Komatsu, which are willing to pay top dollar for help designing state-of-the-art software. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 21 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing willing

• God willing
• show willing
• the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

Rhymes for willing

• billing
• chilling
• drilling
• filling
• grilling
• killing
• milling
• pilling
• rilling
• schilling
• shilling
• skilling

Kids Definition

willing

adjective

will·​ing ˈwil-iŋ 

1

: feeling no objection : ready

willing to go

2

: prompt to act or respond

willing workers

3

: done, made, or given by choice

a willing sacrifice

willingly adverb

willingness noun