willy-nilly

adverb or adjective

wil·​ly-nil·​ly ˌwi-lē-ˈni-lē 

1

: by compulsion : without choice

2

: in a haphazard or spontaneous manner

Synonyms

• randomly

Examples of willy-nilly in a Sentence

they were in a hurry, so they just tossed everything into the room willy-nilly, leaving it to be all sorted out later

Recent Examples on the Web

However, while willy-nilly scrubbing is ill-advised, there is more than one way to clean stainless steel. —Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 15 July 2025

Key decisions get deferred indefinitely, critical risks get accepted willy-nilly, and responsible officers lack visibility into their blind spots. —Phillimon Zongo, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

Beyoncé and Jay-Z don’t collect real estate willy-nilly the way some billionaires do. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 May 2025

Bubbly is also one of those few things that should never be ordered willy-nilly. —Jeff Burkhart, Mercury News, 14 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of will I nill I or will ye nill ye or will he nill he

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for willy-nilly

• dryly
• highly
• kiley
• shyly
• slyly
• smiley
• wily
• wryly

Kids Definition

willy-nilly

adverb or adjective

wil·​ly-nil·​ly

ˌwil-ē-ˈnil-ē

1

: by force : without choice

rushed us along willy-nilly

2

: in an unpredictable manner

children running about willy–nilly

Etymology

an altered form of the phrase will I nill I or will ye nill ye; nill, an ancient negative form of will, from Old English nyllan, a combination of ne "not" and wyllan "to wish, will"