willfully

American  

[wil-fuh-lee] / ˈwɪl fə li /

Or wilfully

adverb

1. deliberately or intentionally; on purpose.

   Any seller who knowingly or willfully certifies false statements is subject to fine and imprisonment.

2. in an unreasonably stubborn or headstrong way.

   The student disrupted school activities and willfully defied the authority of teachers, administrators, and other school employees.

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Other Word Forms

• half-wilfully adverb
• half-willfully adverb
• unwilfully adverb
• unwillfully adverb

Etymology

Origin of willfully

First recorded before 1000; equivalent to willful ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Well, as New York Times columnist Carlos Lozada recently observed, that question is willfully stupid.

From Salon

If you can square those actions with Hernández’s pardon and not throw your back out in the process you’re either more pliable than most or willfully obtuse.

From Los Angeles Times

By Sony’s telling, Cox willfully refused to cut these alleged music thieves off from its service because it didn’t want to lose their business.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Do not speak to me of cruelty, Miss Lumley. Better Fredrick believe me dead than to think I abandoned him willfully. You of all people ought to know how it feels to be left behind.”

From Literature

That’s a reference to the Dunning-Kruger effect — you know, the tendency of those willfully or unalterably ignorant to vastly overestimate their abilities and/or intelligence.

From Salon

Related Words

• consciously
• knowingly
• pointedly
• purposely
• studiously
• voluntarily