as in restraint
the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions
trying to summon the willpower to resist buying any more books before finishing the unread ones I already have
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of willpower
Inside rehab, his recovery was built around medication, not willpower.
—
Ethan Brooks, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025
And that system breaks down when it’s built solely on pain avoidance or short bursts of willpower.
—Katy Gala, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
In a test of her willpower, Janine struggles to continue subduing her innate need to coddle kids.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
Childhood obesity is not a willpower problem, and the rise of early-onset Alzheimer’s is not a genetic cause.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for willpower
Ethan Brooks, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025
And that system breaks down when it’s built solely on pain avoidance or short bursts of willpower.
—Katy Gala, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
In a test of her willpower, Janine struggles to continue subduing her innate need to coddle kids.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
Childhood obesity is not a willpower problem, and the rise of early-onset Alzheimer’s is not a genetic cause.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for willpower
Recent Examples of Synonyms for willpower
Noun
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After George Floyd was killed in 2020, many police departments across the country banned or restricted the knee-on-neck restraint.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
27 May 2025
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Rickson stages both plays with elegant restraint, arranging just a few bits of furniture in front of a bare brick wall.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Why This Matters, Especially Now The study highlights the crucial link between self-compassion and self-control.—
Ellen Choi,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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Produced by the band and inspired by the 2017 thriller First Reformed, the LP finds La Dispute grappling with a looming apocalypse, the detriments of technological evolutions, and the illusion of self-control.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Willpower.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willpower. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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