variants
or wilful
1
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
a particularly willful horse that took weeks to break to saddle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uncontrollable
given to resisting control or discipline by others
finally the parents sought professional counseling for the willful child
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arrogant
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
a willful disregard for the rights of others
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4
as in deliberate
made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing
a willful attempt to cheat her siblings out of their rightful inheritance
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5
as in stubborn
sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
the kind of willful person who can never bring himself to admit that he made a mistake
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of willful
Ver admitted that his understatement of tax on his 2014 return was willful.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025
Miller was charged with domestic abuse assault, willful injury and kidnapping, according to the sheriff.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
His Fassbender-on-Fassbender exchanges with his more willful ancestor David are the richest part of the film.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Although Sagoo will likely be appealed, taxpayers with willful FBAR penalties should watch the decision carefully to determine whether the same arguments may be raised in their cases.
—Matthew L. Roberts, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for willful
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025
Miller was charged with domestic abuse assault, willful injury and kidnapping, according to the sheriff.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
His Fassbender-on-Fassbender exchanges with his more willful ancestor David are the richest part of the film.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Although Sagoo will likely be appealed, taxpayers with willful FBAR penalties should watch the decision carefully to determine whether the same arguments may be raised in their cases.
—Matthew L. Roberts, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for willful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for willful
Adjective
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As for the Banks sisters, Ashley (Akira Akbar) works through a rebellious phase during her freshman year as Hilary (Coco Jones) goes on a journey of self-exploration.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
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To be clear, there is no sense that Rondón and Ugás are defending the old guard or suggesting that a docile, starving population pinioned under the grip of a dictatorship is big-picture preferable to a rebellious insurgency.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The cough grew violent, uncontrollable and exhausting.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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What’s curious, then, is not Trump’s eagerness to degrade us, but his uncontrollable urge to defile himself and his office.—
Michelle Goldberg,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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So long as that situation continues, the 43-year-old’s allegedly arrogant and stand-offish treatment of his players will not worry the club hierarchy too much.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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The pilot opens with Powell’s character, arrogant college quarterback Russ Holliday, leading his Oregon Ducks team in the National Championship game against Georgia at the Rose Bowl.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Adams described the attack as deliberate and that Koehler intended to terrorize the victim.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
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Their learning is efficient because it’s embodied, adaptive, deliberate, and continuous.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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That individual brilliance which can produce a moment of magic to break open a stubborn defence is harder to come by.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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Be sure to pay extra attention to stubborn stains.—
Jennifer Beck Goldblatt,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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On Monday afternoon, Petro remained defiant.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
21 Oct. 2025
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This Irish American neighborhood is famous for its quirky upside-down traffic light, where green proudly sits above red—a symbol of its defiant community spirit.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Social media, in Tranter’s view, had been overrun by music listeners (especially gay ones) acting a little too opinionated.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
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With its quarterly earnings report due in next week, Wall Street is eager to see if Tesla — or its famously opinionated CEO Elon Musk — will report similar challenges as its competitors.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Yet, the severity of gendered crime during Partition wasn’t caused by an arbitrary upsurge of madness.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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Several lawsuits have already been filed challenging the fee and selection changes, with universities, labor groups, and business organizations arguing that the administration exceeded its authority and that the new rules are arbitrary.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Willful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willful. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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