against one's will

Idioms  

1. Without one's consent, forcibly, as in The defendant knew he could not be made to testify against his will. Originally one meaning of will was “acquiescence” or “consent,” but this sense survives only in this idiom, which today nearly always implies some use of force. [c. 1400]

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Example Sentences

It is also because of the daunting prospect of tedium — of being forced against one’s will to do nothing, and of doing nothing ordinarily considered to be useful.

From Washington Post • Aug. 3, 2018

Rather, it’s seeking recognition of just one right: to not be imprisoned against one’s will.

From Slate • Oct. 10, 2014

If one doesn't buy this premise, doesn't believe full-body scanners are a good bargain, then one is being exposed against one's will.

From Washington Post • Dec. 22, 2010

There was some suggestion of downward motion, against one’s will and not with the will of anyone else.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

"Well, you see—even against one's will, one is often influenced by surrounding conditions, and as my wife seemed to bear you some ill-will—" "Jove! 'seemed'—she did better than that, since she showed me the door."

From Original Short Stories — Volume 08 by Maupassant, Guy de