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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
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
These are the people who, despairing of finding their way out honestly, simply smash and bash their way through the corn willy-nilly.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
What seems at first like willy-nilly playfulness is actually carefully ordered design inspired by the rule of thirds, a governing aesthetic principle of fine arts that subdivides a canvas or object into nine equal parts along two horizontal and two vertical lines.
—Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2024
America First’s members thought the country was being sucked willy-nilly into a second World War, barely two decades after the first one ended in 1919.
—Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 29 Sep. 2024
This is largely true of any Rolex model, and the confusion is largely the result of Rolex being an industrial juggernaut that used interchangeable parts willy-nilly without keeping records.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2024
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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
Articles Related to willy-nilly
Dictionary Entries Near willy-nilly
Cite this Entry
“Willy-nilly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/willy-nilly. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.
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"
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