willfulness

noun

Definition of willfulnessnext
1
as in stubbornness
a steadfast adherence to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion her unceasing willfulness eventually wore down her critics and opponents

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2
as in rebellion
refusal to obey the trainer was able to correct our dog's willfulness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 willfulness Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026 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, 17 Nov. 2025 While this change reduces the explicit admission of willfulness, a narrative is still required. — Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025 Christian Science doesn’t demand blind faith and willfulness but a willingness to surrender to this higher truth. — Matthew Schmidt, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for willfulness
  1. stubbornness
  2. rebellion
  3. persistence
  4. defiance
  5. obstinacy
  6. rebelliousness
  7. self-will
  8. disobedience
Noun
  • And the stubbornness of that demand is, to me, the most important and most underappreciated story in rental housing right now.
    — Brad Hunter, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Penelope is Odysseus’ equal, in cunning, in stubbornness, in wiles.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Definition of stubbornness
Noun
  • In April 2012, a coalition of Tuareg rebel groups under the Coordination of Azawad Movements declared independence and sparked a rebellion alongside Islamic militants.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Many employers double down on rigid return-to-office rules, surveillance and gimmicks, even as workers fight back with coffee badging, ghost bookings and other quiet rebellions.
    — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • While burning through so much of their pitching depth, the Cubs have demonstrated persistence, flexibility and problem-solving skills.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • The child narrator’s lingering guilt and Ayah’s eventual recovery, achieved through the persistence of other women, place the gendered costs of partition at the center of the book.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Definition of persistence
Noun
  • No wonder the new York head coach cut quite the forlorn figure on the touchline during the closing exchanges, even allowing for his post-match words of defiance for the boo boys.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Those acts of defiance, as well as frequent protests by retirees against worsening livelihoods, have helped shatter the narrative that Iranians are united behind their country’s war against the United States and Israel.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of defiance
Noun
  • Starmer’s realism—or obstinacy, depending on your point of view—had seen off an immediate challenge.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
  • The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
Definition of obstinacy
Noun
  • Whether writing five decades ago or today, the genre’s most insightful commentators have always observed how punk fuses rebelliousness with commodification, capitalism with resistance.
    — Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026
  • Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.
    — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Definition of rebelliousness
Noun
  • This requires yielding – surrendering self-will, fear, and human outlining – to the pure activity of Christ within consciousness.
    — Larissa Snorek, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Dec. 2025
  • 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
Definition of self-will
Noun
  • Another child said he was forced to carry out artillery strikes and beaten for disobedience.
    — Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
  • But many Catholics, including conservative and traditional ones, are opposed to the consecrations, viewing them as an act of severe disobedience to the pope that hurts the church.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of disobedience

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Cite this Entry

“Willfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willfulness. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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