WILLFULNESS Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

willfulness

noun

Definition of willfulness

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 And from that boredom, a different kind of will, the willfulness that accompanies a need to destroy that happiness. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 From grandmother to grandchild, these three sets of two sisters were powerful characters possessed with passion, willfulness, bravery, and devotion to each other. — Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026 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 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

Noun

That stubbornness gave him the ability to articulate different sides toward a greater goal.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
The reason behind this stubbornness is the carbon-fluorine bond.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of stubbornness

Noun

As the competition unfolds, Haymitch risks everything to take down the Games from within the arena — setting in motion the rebellion that will change Panem forever.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2026
My assumption that the guest speakers’ anti-Communist insurrection might resonate with today’s youth and their antisystem rebellion proved to be mistaken.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebellion

Noun

Have the confidence to walk away For founders, persistence is often celebrated, but knowing when to stop investing in a business can be just as important as having the conviction to start one.

— Amy Francombe, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026
The persistence of these differences beyond the pandemic points to chronic disease, not Covid-19 alone, as a key component of the political mortality divide.

— Brandon Yan, STAT, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of persistence

Noun

The outreach is serious, but Mohsen Rezaei has built a career on defiance of the United States.

— David Ignatius, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2026
This hint of connection between them is later made concrete when, at the demonstration, the two are complicit in an act of defiance — throwing a cobblestone at a policeman, badly injuring him — and must skip town for the night.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Oct. 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

That’s great news for Vanguart’s four cofounders, who established the company in 2018 with a wealth of experience, if not some serious horological rebelliousness.

— Rachel Ingram, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2026
The stigma helped imprint a stamp of rebelliousness on the brand which lives on today, says Carpenter, even as Burton has become a fixture on resort slopes across the world and within the annals of Olympian history.

— Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 8 Oct. 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

But Havel’s vision went beyond private acts of disobedience and noncompliance.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
After federal prosecutors and defense attorneys had presented all their evidence Tuesday, Morrow’s attorneys asked Orso to dismiss the three petty charges accusing her of obstruction, disruption and disobedience.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of disobedience

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“Willfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willfulness. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of willfulness

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