willfulness

1 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 Synonyms bullheadedness, doggedness, hardheadedness, intransigence, mulishness, obduracy, obdurateness, obstinateness, opinionatedness, pertinaciousness, pertinacity, pigheadedness, self-opinionatedness, self-will, stubbornness, obstinacyRelated Words anal-retentiveness, perverseness, perversity, waywardness, wrongheadedness; adamancy (also adamance), determination, implacability, inexorability, inflexibility, inveteracy, perseverence, persistence, persistency, relentlessness, resolve, single-mindedness, steadfastness, stick-to-itiveness, tenaciousness, tenacity; firmness, hardness, rigor, rigorousness, sternness, strictness; narrow-mindedness, rigidity, rigidness; bloody-mindedness [chiefly British], cantankerousness, contrariness, cussedness; balkiness, contumacy, defiance, disobedience, frowardness, immovability, immovableness, insubordination, intractibility, obstreperousness, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, recalcitrancy, refractoriness, unrulinessNear Antonyms broad-mindedness, open-mindedness, reasonability, reasonableness, receptiveness, receptivity; acceptance, acquiescence, flexibility, pliability, pliableness, pliancy, pliantness; compliance, docility, obedience, subordinateness, subordination; submission, surrender, willingness, yielding; slavishness, subservience, subserviency

2 refusal to obey willfulness was dealt with harshly at the orphanage Synonyms balkiness, contrariness, contumacy, defiance, frowardness, insubordination, intractability, obstreperousness, rebellion, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, refractoriness, unruliness, waywardness, disobedienceRelated Words civil disobedience, noncooperation; discourteousness, disrespect, impertinence, impoliteness, impudence, inconsiderateness, inconsideration, insolence, rudeness, ungraciousness; doggedness, hardheadedness, mulishness, obduracy, obdurateness, obstinacy, obstinateness, peevishness, pertinaciousness, pertinacity, perversity, pigheadedness, self-will, stubbornness, tenaciousness, tenacity; knavery, mischievousness, naughtinessNear Antonyms agreeability, amenability, amiability; slavishness, submissiveness, subservience, subserviency; trainability; deference, docility, dutifulnessAntonyms compliance, obedience, submission, subordinateness, subordination, tractability, tractableness