willy-nilly

adverb or adjective

wil·​ly-nil·​ly ˌwi-lē-ˈni-lē How to pronounce willy-nilly (audio)
1
: by compulsion : without choice
2
: in a haphazard or spontaneous manner

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See all Example Sentences for willy-nilly 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of willy-nilly was in 1608

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"

More from Merriam-Webster on willy-nilly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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