wilful
Americanadjective
adjective
-
intent on having one's own way; headstrong or obstinate
-
intentional
wilful murder
Other Word Forms
- unwilful adjective
- unwilfully adverb
- unwilfulness noun
- wilfully adverb
- wilfulness noun
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.
Misconduct in public office is defined by the British Crown Prosecution Service as the “serious wilful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office” and can result in life imprisonment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
That same month, Shein was accused of "wilful ignorance" by MPs in the UK after its lawyer repeatedly refused to answer questions about where the retailer sources its cotton.
From BBC • May 26, 2025
It was not the absence of children itself that he saw as so damaging, but the wilful decision to avoid them.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2025
No injuries were reported but both are being treated as wilful.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2025
“He got at them, in spite of all that I could do, and they took up with him. They behaved very queer all the time they were here: wilful, you might say.”
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
