willing

adjective

will·ing | \ ˈwi-liŋ

Definition of willing

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

Other Words from willing Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about willing

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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

Yet Inter are only willing to take the defender on loan but this would not be possible as Darmian's contract expires on 30 June. — SI.com, "Man Utd Defender Could Sign Contract Extension as Inter Continue Hunt for New Right Back," 13 July 2018 JD Power’s survey found that more than half of respondents would be willing to pursue litigation if they were involved in an incident with a driverless car. — Aarian Marshall, WIRED, "Home From the Honeymoon, the Self-Driving Car Industry Faces Reality," 13 July 2018 And many motorists just aren’t willing to share the road. — Sarah Gish, kansascity, "Will Kansas City ever be bike-friendly? The city is about to roll out a plan," 13 July 2018 The county is willing to step up to facilitate the changes that are necessary to promote the public health and well-being of Sativa customers. — Ruben Vives, latimes.com, "Agency that delivered brown, smelly water to customers should be dissolved, board rules," 12 July 2018 Rather than allowing agencies to decide the meaning of disputed regulatory laws, Shapiro said, Kavanaugh, like the late Justice Antonin Scalia, has been willing to make that decision himself from the bench. — Bob Egelko, SFChronicle.com, "Trump’s Supreme Court nominee: Rulings favor more power to the president," 11 July 2018 Her explanation for why an appellate judge must be brave: Barrett told the Senate Judiciary Committee last year that a good judge must be willing to take the consequences of an unpopular ruling. — Maureen Groppe, Indianapolis Star, "What Supreme Court contender Amy Coney Barrett has said about abortion and 9 other issues," 8 July 2018 Then, be willing to listen to the answer without getting defensive. — Anne Roderique-jones, SELF, "Am I a Selfish Person? I Set Out to Find Out," 8 July 2018 However, the team had to rely on local hunters to share parts of their kill for analysis, something only a handful of them were willing to do—perhaps out of fear of getting into trouble. — National Geographic, "Humans Gave Leprosy to Armadillos. Now, They’re Giving It Back," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'willing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.