at-will

[ at-wil ]

adjective

1. being, relating to, or involved in a work agreement that the employer or employee may legally end at any time without notice or cause:

   Companies in this industry often use both contract and at-will employment options.

   Since they aren't at-will employees, they can only be discharged with cause.

   Even in at-will states, employers cannot fire you for discriminatory reasons.

Word History and Origins

Origin of at-will¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Idioms and Phrases

Freely, as one pleases, as in The grounds are open to the public and one can wander about at will , or With this thermostat you can adjust the room temperature at will . [1300s]

Example Sentences

These people depend upon the land for their subsistence, but they are tenants-at-will.

From Project Gutenberg

The provision which conferred a vote on the tenant-at-will, abrogated leases, and made the tiller of the soil a vassal.

From Project Gutenberg

The cultivators are still, for the most part, tenants-at-will, rack-rented and debt-ridden.

From Project Gutenberg

At all hazards they must be made tenants-at-will, and brought completely under his control.

From Project Gutenberg

But he was bent on crushing the independent yeomanry into the abject condition of tenants-at-will.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• candidly
• openly
• voluntarily
• willingly