SELF-WILL Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

self-will

noun

ˌself-ˈwil

as in willfulness

a steadfast adherence to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion a schoolboy with a streak of self-will and rebellion

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of self-will But also injuries and ailments at all the wrong times, as well as overt self-will at times. —

Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2025 So for those of us torn between watching the sun get blotted out and getting blotto keeping our attention on a particularly good rock show, this exercise in multi-tasking was a real contest of self-will. —

Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-will

Noun

Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.

— Brad Shoup, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 2026
The orphan’s predicament is as much a matter of willfulness as of survival—inseparable, as in the works of Charles Dickens, from a dream of being somehow rescued by the idea of an adult world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025