strong-willed

American  

[strawng-wild, strong-] / ˈstrɔŋˈwɪld, ˈstrɒŋ- /

adjective

1. having a powerful will; resolute.

2. stubborn; obstinate.

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strong-willed British  

adjective

1. having strength of will

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Etymology

Origin of strong-willed

First recorded in 1895–1900

Explanation

Someone strong-willed doesn’t give up easily. A strong-willed person is determined. Your will is your desire or drive to do something, so a strong-willed person is someone with a powerful will. This can be positive or negative. A child who insists on going to the zoo in the rain is strong-willed in a stubborn way. Someone with deep beliefs is strong-willed in a better way. A hero — or anyone who shows courage — is strong-willed. You have to be strong-willed to stand up for what you believe in during difficult situations.

Example Sentences

Moon, a friend of Mr Bushnell's who asked to be identified only by his first name, met him through volunteer work and described him as "incredibly strong willed".

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2024

Isaiah is very bright, but also a strong willed child who isn’t motivated by traditional rewards, punishments, or societal views of how he “should” be behaving.

From Slate • Feb. 22, 2021

“She’s a strong willed, independent girl,” Clay said.

From Washington Times • Mar. 1, 2020

“It was supposed to be tuna niçoise, but we all like different things,” Jane says; these three are strong willed as well as close-knit.

From New York Times • Oct. 23, 2019

To marshal large men who were not all that much younger than him, and in many cases just as strong willed, he needed every advantage he could get.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• headstrong