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

• aimlessly
• anyhow
• anyway
• anywise
• desultorily
• erratically
• haphazard
• haphazardly
• helter-skelter
• hit or miss
• irregularly
• 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

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

What has to stop is the willy-nilly dealing of draft picks, which proved quite reckless in the Terry Rozier trade, a debt that still has to be paid. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025

There’s also a small interior pocket for keeping small, loose items from floating willy-nilly in your bag, so I wasn’t stuck digging for my chapstick all night. —Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 9 May 2025

The willy-nilly assault on friends and foes has shaken global confidence in U.S. reliability. —The Wall Street Journal, Twin Cities, 5 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"