willfully
Americanadverb
-
deliberately or intentionally; on purpose.
Any seller who knowingly or willfully certifies false statements is subject to fine and imprisonment.
-
in an unreasonably stubborn or headstrong way.
The student disrupted school activities and willfully defied the authority of teachers, administrators, and other school employees.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of willfully
First recorded before 1000; equivalent to willful ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
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.
The reason: “You have willfully and deliberately failed to report to ‘in-person’ work,” the other co-owners wrote in a termination letter reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 4, 2026
“They willfully participated in his scams. They deserved to lose every penny,” another user wrote.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
Until we can all get on the same page about the ways in which we are willfully misunderstanding each other and calling it discourse, it won’t get better.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
Sometimes sheep are merely sheep, and sometimes they’re stand-ins for a willfully credulous populace.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Was I so blind, or did I close my eyes willfully, so I would not have to see the price of power?
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
