as in intentionally
with full awareness of what one is doing
willfully chose to risk pneumonia by jumping into a freezing lake on a dare
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Recent Examples of willfully
Time and time again, college students willfully engage in religious discussions if the intentions of all parties are authentic – often occurring between friends and faculty who adopt critical and inclusive pedagogical approaches in the classroom.
—
Matthew Mayhew, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The case, which was originally set to go to trial in December, could have exposed Anthropic to damages of up to $1 trillion if the court found that the company willfully violated copyright law.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Tate and his brother Tristan willfully describe themselves as misogynists.
—Will Carless, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Yet even in this willfully unproductive use of leisure time, work hovers overhead like a ghost.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
That decision was subsequently appealed by the association to the Circuit Court for Palm Beach County, which concluded that the letter was likely lost in the mail and the association did not willfully deny access to the records.
—Laura Manning-Hudson, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
In some cases, providers may be willfully taking advantage of the system, Medicaid director Adela Flores-Brennan said.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2025
Devon fights back when Simone accuses her of willfully staying stuck in their hometown.
—Megan Vick, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025
The judge also found that Madigan lied repeatedly and willfully when testifying in his own defense during the trial.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
Matthew Mayhew, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The case, which was originally set to go to trial in December, could have exposed Anthropic to damages of up to $1 trillion if the court found that the company willfully violated copyright law.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Tate and his brother Tristan willfully describe themselves as misogynists.
—Will Carless, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Yet even in this willfully unproductive use of leisure time, work hovers overhead like a ghost.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
That decision was subsequently appealed by the association to the Circuit Court for Palm Beach County, which concluded that the letter was likely lost in the mail and the association did not willfully deny access to the records.
—Laura Manning-Hudson, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
In some cases, providers may be willfully taking advantage of the system, Medicaid director Adela Flores-Brennan said.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2025
Devon fights back when Simone accuses her of willfully staying stuck in their hometown.
—Megan Vick, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025
The judge also found that Madigan lied repeatedly and willfully when testifying in his own defense during the trial.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for willfully
Adverb
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Giants pitcher Justin Verlander, who had just allowed four straight batters to hit the ball at least 97 MPH, intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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With a base open, Melvin elected to intentionally walk one MVP in Shohei Ohtani to get to another MVP in Betts.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Bluesky, part of the decentralized internet, is slower paced and caters to niche interests, rewarding internecine fights over minutiae, whereas X is deliberately chaotic, encouraging the gathering of follower-armies and ideological insult-comedy for an audience that may be largely made up of bots.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
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People can deliberately cultivate more conscientiousness, boost their sociability or soften their neurotic edges.—
Dave Winsborough,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Willfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willfully. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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