Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

willy–nilly

play
adverb or adjective wil·ly–nil·ly \ˌwi-lē-ˈni-lē\

Definition of willy–nilly

  1. 1 :  by compulsion :  without choice

  2. 2 :  in a haphazard or spontaneous manner

See willy–nilly defined for English-language learners

See willy–nilly defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

fossil
'Bated', 'Shod', 'Boon', and 7 Other Fossil Words
alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time
image386126722
Words That Come From the Dinner Table
emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Origin and Etymology of willy–nilly

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

WILLY–NILLY Defined for English Language Learners

willy-nilly

play
adverb

Definition of willy–nilly for English Language Learners

  • : in a careless and unplanned way

  • : in a way that does not allow any choices or planning

Learn More about willy–nilly

  1. See words that rhyme with willy–nilly

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up willy–nilly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

wreak

play

to bring about or cause (something)

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  2. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  3. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  4. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  5. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time

A variant spelling with a long history

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

image386126722
Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

ghost-being-disinvited-from-party
'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game