1
as in rather
by choice or preference
I would not willingly eat liver, but sometimes I have no choice
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in voluntarily
of one's own free will
I willingly made the campaign contribution; no one pressured me into doing so
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of willingly
The Timberwolves willingly left Jokic open behind the arc.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
When asked why some of the most successful people on Earth would willingly subject themselves to the harsh conditions seen in the show’s promos — such as eating snakes or boiling water to avoid illness — Grylls said, for these stars, the appeal is about authenticity.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
After every resident is moved — willingly or forcibly — police and city staff will patrol the site to prevent people from returning.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
The car was in the lot, and office manager Jessica Smith said Gregg signed the paperwork willingly.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Lawyer said the bird entered the device willingly and pushed back on any suggestion of distress.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Greg Gutfeld is ready to help another batch of people who willingly spent three months in isolation to get back to reality.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026
Lawyer said Bebe entered the device willingly and showed no signs of distress.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026
While some of the women who came here willingly embraced ISIS ideology and passed it on to their children, many others say they were trafficked or lured to the region through ignorance or under false pretenses.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
When asked why some of the most successful people on Earth would willingly subject themselves to the harsh conditions seen in the show’s promos — such as eating snakes or boiling water to avoid illness — Grylls said, for these stars, the appeal is about authenticity.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
After every resident is moved — willingly or forcibly — police and city staff will patrol the site to prevent people from returning.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
The car was in the lot, and office manager Jessica Smith said Gregg signed the paperwork willingly.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Lawyer said the bird entered the device willingly and pushed back on any suggestion of distress.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Greg Gutfeld is ready to help another batch of people who willingly spent three months in isolation to get back to reality.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026
Lawyer said Bebe entered the device willingly and showed no signs of distress.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026
While some of the women who came here willingly embraced ISIS ideology and passed it on to their children, many others say they were trafficked or lured to the region through ignorance or under false pretenses.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for willingly
Adverb
-
Wildlife here is so prolific that guests aren’t permitted to walk about; rather they’re ferried about by safari vehicle, passing honking hippos, giant basking Nile crocodiles and huge numbers of butterflies and birds.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
-
For anyone who’d rather not stomach as much volatility, a metal-specific ETF or broader precious metals fund may be the smarter starting point.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
These hires also show much longer tenure and are less likely to voluntarily quit than other workers — saving companies valuable time and money on turnover.—
Brian Fabes,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The tahini was voluntarily discarded.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
April 24,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
While conversing with fans on X, he was asked for a good story following the Super Bowl LIV win, preferably about coach Andy Reid.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
14 Apr. 2026
-
If the roadside is your only option, pull off as far as possible, preferably past the end of a guard rail, and wait until the storm passes.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The logical, unromantic version of their history is that in the 17th century Chincoteague farmers moved their livestock to neighboring Assateague Island to roam freely and avoid fencing their land, as well as skirting various taxation laws.—
Madeline Weinfield,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Wild antelope prance freely while bison lazily graze in pastures.—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
17 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Maybe only 22 percent of Americans would readily accept Homelander as their one true God, but his vision might also appeal to those Christians whose fanatic prejudices outweigh any specific loyalty to the Bible and its lessons in compassion.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Reshuffling the order in which minerals emerged would create new opportunities for water’s constituent oxygen and hydrogen to combine, more readily forming hydrated minerals that, unlike ice, can endure close proximity to the blazing sun.—
Javier Barbuzano,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Willingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willingly. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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