willful

American  

[wil-fuhl] / ˈwɪl fəl /

Or wilful

adjective

1. deliberate, voluntary, or intentional.

   The coroner ruled the death willful murder.

   Synonyms:

   volitional;

2. unreasonably stubborn or headstrong; self-willed.

   Synonyms:

   adamant, obdurate, inflexible, pigheaded, refractory, contrary, intransigent

   Antonyms:

   tractable, obedient

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willful British  

/ ˈwɪlfʊl /

adjective

1. the US spelling of wilful

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Related Words

Willful, headstrong, perverse, wayward refer to one who stubbornly insists upon doing as they please. Willful suggests a stubborn persistence in doing what one wishes, especially in opposition to those whose wishes or commands ought to be respected or obeyed: that willful child who disregarded his parents' advice. One who is headstrong is often foolishly, and sometimes violently, self-willed: reckless and headstrong youths. The perverse person is unreasonably or obstinately intractable or contrary, often with the express intention of being disagreeable: perverse out of sheer spite. Wayward in this sense has the connotation of rash wrongheadedness that gets one into trouble: a reform school for wayward teens.

Other Word Forms

• half-willful adjective
• half-willfulness noun
• unwillful adjective
• unwillfulness noun
• willfully adverb
• willfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of willful

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; Old English wilful “willing”; will ², -ful

Explanation

Willful means "deliberate" or "stubborn." A child who exhibits willful disobedience knows she is doing something wrong (even if she tries to convince you otherwise). While being full of will, or determination, doesn’t necessarily seem like a bad thing, the word willful is negative in meaning. Use it when someone is behaving in a stubborn or uncooperative manner. To describe someone who possesses dedication or perseverance in a positive sense, consider determined, driven, or decisive — and that’s just the d's!

Example Sentences

According to the suit, the disclosure of tax-return forms “was either willful or a result of gross negligence.”

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

Video footage of his killing taken from multiple angles shows this to be a willful lie.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2026

Industry executives were trusting themselves to the point of willful ignorance.

From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026

Andrew Ross Sorkin’s “1929” recounts how failures in political leadership—a blend of willful ignorance and shortsighted greed—can sow economic chaos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

In the midst of this willful confusion, one Madisonian conviction shone through with his more characteristic clarity—namely, that slavery was an explosive topic that must be removed from the political agenda of the new nation.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• conscious
• deliberate
• intentional
• premeditated
• purposeful
• willed