self-will
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-will
before 900; Middle English: one's own will, stubbornness; Old English: one's own will; see self, will 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“My self-will had to be abandoned because my self-will was killing me,” Irsay said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2022
A rhythmic kick accompanies this brash takeover of youth and self-will.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 21, 2022
It also evokes the determination, the self-will, of countless immigrants who have chosen to make and call America their home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2021
Thus, as Cooley’s film quickens and deepens, we get a fabulous running joke about the “inner voice,” a staple of American self-will since the days of Emerson.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 21, 2019
Think how many a fair daughter, the joy of a mother's heart, will follow the bent of her self-will after a few years, and insist on some miserably mistaken marriage!
From Practical Religion Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians by Ryle, John Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
