WILLINGNESS Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

willingness

noun

Definition of willingness

as in enthusiasm

cheerful readiness to do something his unhesitating willingness to take on the tough assignments has earned him the status of the president's right-hand man

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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 willingness The metric is determined by such factors as distance of separation from a defender, accuracy of the throw and teammates’ willingness to throw blocks. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026 What actually matters is interest and a willingness to work through failure. — Stephen Snyder, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Hardly an impartial judge of his own life, the Unabomber’s stated willingness to serve as the face of a revolutionary movement is chilling. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026 China, too, has shown increasing willingness to open channels of communication on AI, despite deep distrust between the two sides. — Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 Hannah’s calm presence, willingness to go above and beyond, and love for all students made Hannah an amazing person and educator. — Kelsie Cairns , Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 For an increasing number of young people, nothing signals your values like a willingness to kill others for them. — Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026 What’s unclear is the Writers Guild of America’s willingness to file a lawsuit to block the merger means a more aggressive approach by labor to future mergers. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026 Despite the traffic delays, residents said the response from bystanders and emergency personnel reflected the city's willingness to help when needed. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for willingness

Noun

Spending has been helped by a strong stock market, which reflects enthusiasm over the prospects for artificial intelligence and which enriches wealthy investors and gives them more money to buy things with.

— Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
That level of enthusiasm underscores the power of personal agents and the promise that consumers and office workers will be able to use the technology to book travel, pay bills, respond to emails and perform many more tasks.

— Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of enthusiasm

Noun

The Commonwealth’s alacrity in its pursuit of the case against Clancy is not, in itself, reason to give credence to any of the TikTok reconstructions of the crime scene.

— Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
Quenneville and Killorn emphasized enthusiasm and alacrity, with Killorn cautioning against attention to detail transforming into something more obsessive.

— Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 13 May 2026

Definition of alacrity

Noun

What may have seemed a mere goodwill gesture reflected Reid’s keen judgment of Veach, the Chiefs’ general manager who has presided over five Super Bowl berths in the last seven seasons.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Security companies that offer an antivirus or security suite for free get a big boost in goodwill, but unless somebody pays for their protection, there’s no money to keep the company afloat.

— Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of goodwill

Noun

Legendary computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton warned AI could wipe out humanity as a mere byproduct of its zeal to accomplish a more innocent task.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
Halas leaned into the new job with zeal, using his earlier barnstorming connections to both recruit and coach players, while organizing a makeshift league called the American Professional Football Association.

— Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of zeal

Noun

In addition to SpaceX’s own eagerness to begin launching the Starlink V3 megaconstellation, NASA has also contracted the vehicle as a lunar lander for the Artemis program.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2026
But to some who oppose his overhaul, the center’s loud publicization of the problem underscores the board’s eagerness—perhaps overeagerness—to shut down the building.

— Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of eagerness

Noun

Still, Joe’s criticism of Nathan’s negative energy is fair, particularly when his defeatist attitude is contrasted with Aesha’s absolute gameness.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2026
De Shields arrived first, wearing a buffalo-plaid toque and a mien of utter gameness.

— Henry Alford, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

Definition of gameness

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willingly

willingness

williwaw

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“Willingness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willingness. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of willingness

noun

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