willingly

American  

[wil-ing-lee] / ˈwɪl ɪŋ li /

adverb

1. in a consenting and often cheerful way.

   They volunteer for duty on faraway battlefields, willingly putting their lives on the line to fight and possibly die for their country.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overwillingly
  adverb
• prewillingly
  adverb
• quasi-willingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of willingly

First recorded before 900; equivalent to willing ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

If you do something willingly, you're perfectly happy to do it. Invite your friends to join you for hot fudge sundaes, your treat, and they'll willingly come along. When a person acts willingly, they are doing something of their own free will — in other words, they're glad to do it. Sometimes it's a no-brainer: you'll willingly jump in your aunt's waiting car when she offers to drive you home from school on a rainy day. At other times, doing something willingly is a marker of your good nature, like when you willingly step in to help your friend move.

Example Sentences

But if past is prologue, the courts won’t willingly implement reform.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026

Although people sign up willingly to appear on reality shows like MAFS, they can't fully know what they're getting themselves into, Lord Grade told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Bunting means willingly giving up one of your 27 outs, the most precious resource that exists in the game.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

This case presented a strikingly simple question: Does it violate a journalist’s First Amendment rights if they are arrested for requesting and publishing information that a government employee willingly hands over?

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026

Never in his whole life had an adult believed him so willingly, so quickly.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• cheerfully
• freely
• readily
• voluntarily