strong-willed
Americanadjective
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having a powerful will; resolute.
-
stubborn; obstinate.
adjective
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said that in his experience, prison kitchens were now "totally civilianised" with no trained guards overseeing "strong willed and highly manipulative" prisoners.
From BBC • Sep. 7, 2023
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
But she was also very strong willed, determined to rise above the people who made her feel small.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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.
