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
And the Patriots don’t have enough offensive firepower to willingly part with a legitimate NFL starter, taking fumbles out of the equation.
—
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
In the latest demands of Intel, the government willingly relinquished the ability to exert control, despite being the largest holder of Intel’s shares.
—Andrew King, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2025
Robinson’s roommate described the exchange to police and willingly showed them the messages, authorities said.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
Games designed specifically for kids can deliver the thrill of play with the guardrails of safety, and even integrate learning in ways that children embrace willingly.
—Edna Martinson, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
By enjoying the exciting spectacle, their fans have willingly become mindless followers—idol worshippers who are too misguided, and naive, to see they’re being led toward their own destruction.
—Yvonne Kim, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Von Ferdinand’s attorneys have argued Jett willingly transferred her money and properties to Von Ferdinand.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
The Dolphins would never willingly take on almost $80 million in dead space, and the team has also not shown any signs of even benching the star quarterback, much less cutting ties with him altogether.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Some American companies, including Olaplex, have willingly removed the ingredient from their formulas.
—Keyaira Boone, Essence, 5 Sep. 2025
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
In the latest demands of Intel, the government willingly relinquished the ability to exert control, despite being the largest holder of Intel’s shares.
—Andrew King, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2025
Robinson’s roommate described the exchange to police and willingly showed them the messages, authorities said.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
Games designed specifically for kids can deliver the thrill of play with the guardrails of safety, and even integrate learning in ways that children embrace willingly.
—Edna Martinson, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
By enjoying the exciting spectacle, their fans have willingly become mindless followers—idol worshippers who are too misguided, and naive, to see they’re being led toward their own destruction.
—Yvonne Kim, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Von Ferdinand’s attorneys have argued Jett willingly transferred her money and properties to Von Ferdinand.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
The Dolphins would never willingly take on almost $80 million in dead space, and the team has also not shown any signs of even benching the star quarterback, much less cutting ties with him altogether.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Some American companies, including Olaplex, have willingly removed the ingredient from their formulas.
—Keyaira Boone, Essence, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for willingly
Adverb
-
At the time, Bailey denied claims that the film was initially rejected due to censorship but rather footage clearance and security concerns.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Or rather not sitting, but dancing.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
This has created bottlenecks for social workers and police officers who often struggle to find spots for people voluntarily asking to get clean.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The lawsuit sparked a years-long legal battle that was ultimately voluntarily dismissed in late 2022.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
22 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Access codes, combinations or key locations should be kept preferably in only gun owners’ memories or somewhere else others can’t find them.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The ultimate goal for any rescue is a deep, sound sleep—preferably surrounded by a mountain of soft pillows.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
The message closes by calling on all Americans to fight to defend our right to speak freely.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Sep. 2025
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Several of them, like the comms director who visited the ER, requested anonymity to speak freely about their own struggles and those of their colleagues and organizations.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Canary Mission utilizes a strategic virality, providing readily available, aggregate style content to better facilitate different permutations of repression and harassment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Iron is absorbed most readily from animal sources.—
Kelly Burch,
Verywell Health,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Willingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willingly. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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