force of will

noun phrase

: ability to continue trying despite difficulties : determination
She succeeded by/through sheer force of will.

Examples of force of will in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His partner Lucy, played with professional poise by Rosie Hallett, is high-stress in a different way, a busy eye surgeon with a sense of holding the world together through sheer force of will. Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024 Gordon was the one Nugget who was getting shots to fall, all by sheer force of will. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2024 One of the things that kept this play alive on Broadway the first time was the sheer force of will of the audience. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 June 2023 No recruiting militia passed through her village; her transformation from obedient housewife to swaggering gang leader was accomplished by sheer force of will. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 Last year, Julia Garner, Margot Robbie and Elizabeth Debicki anticipated the year of pink (well, Margot also made the year of pink happen by sheer force of will on the Barbie press tour), while Viola Davis got the hem of her dress soaking wet on the way in. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 8 Jan. 2024 Through some combination of faith in Trump’s most outlandish assertions and sheer force of will, these previously unknown players found an audience with some of the president’s most powerful allies and helped shape their scheme. Isaac Stanley-Becker, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Sep. 2023 Through this litany of problems and sheer force of will, Sweet persevered, determined to make something of her life. Diane Bell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2023 The same natural, intuitive clairvoyance that puts people at ease and the same powerful force of will. The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'force of will.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near force of will

Cite this Entry

“Force of will.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/force%20of%20will. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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