willful

American  

[wil-fuhl] / ˈwɪl fəl /

Or wilful

adjective

1. deliberate, voluntary, or intentional.

   The coroner ruled the death willful murder.

   Synonyms:

   volitional;

2. unreasonably stubborn or headstrong; self-willed.

   Synonyms:

   adamant, obdurate, inflexible, pigheaded, refractory, contrary, intransigent

   Antonyms:

   tractable, obedient

---

willful British  

/ ˈwɪlfʊl /

adjective

1. the US spelling of wilful

---

Synonym Usage

Willful, headstrong, perverse, wayward refer to one who stubbornly insists upon doing as they please. Willful suggests a stubborn persistence in doing what one wishes, especially in opposition to those whose wishes or commands ought to be respected or obeyed: that willful child who disregarded his parents' advice. One who is headstrong is often foolishly, and sometimes violently, self-willed: reckless and headstrong youths. The perverse person is unreasonably or obstinately intractable or contrary, often with the express intention of being disagreeable: perverse out of sheer spite. Wayward in this sense has the connotation of rash wrongheadedness that gets one into trouble: a reform school for wayward teens.

Other Word Forms

• half-willful
  adjective
• half-willfulness
  noun
• unwillful
  adjective
• unwillfulness
  noun
• willfully
  adverb
• willfulness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of willful

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; Old English wilful “willing”; see will ², -ful

Explanation

Willful means "deliberate" or "stubborn." A child who exhibits willful disobedience knows she is doing something wrong (even if she tries to convince you otherwise). While being full of will, or determination, doesn’t necessarily seem like a bad thing, the word willful is negative in meaning. Use it when someone is behaving in a stubborn or uncooperative manner. To describe someone who possesses dedication or perseverance in a positive sense, consider determined, driven, or decisive — and that’s just the d's!

Example Sentences

"Willful sabotage," Stone posted to Donald Trump's Truth Social website.

From Salon • Sep. 14, 2022

Also joining me was Osita Nwanevu, who’s a staff writer at the New Republic, and whose recent article, “The Willful Blindness of Reactionary Liberalism,” is the most frequently cited critique of the Harper’s letter.

From Slate • Jul. 18, 2020

Willful wrongdoing is rare — but suspected cases are seized upon.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 4, 2016

Willful ignorance, especially when it comes to firearms danger, is a far greater threat.

From Washington Times • Jun. 4, 2016

“You’re guilty of Willful Collusion at the very most. They can’t expel you for that. You’d probably get off with a fine, since they don’t whip women.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• conscious
• deliberate
• intentional
• premeditated
• purposeful
• willed