willfully

American  

[wil-fuh-lee] / ˈwɪl fə li /

Or wilfully

adverb

1. deliberately or intentionally; on purpose.

   Any seller who knowingly or willfully certifies false statements is subject to fine and imprisonment.

2. in an unreasonably stubborn or headstrong way.

   The student disrupted school activities and willfully defied the authority of teachers, administrators, and other school employees.

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Other Word Forms

• half-wilfully adverb
• half-willfully adverb
• unwilfully adverb
• unwillfully adverb

Etymology

Origin of willfully

First recorded before 1000; equivalent to willful ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

As more flights return, “the potential for airliners being targeted either willfully or by error will increase dramatically,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The Bride!” is a wild, willfully over-the-top double-barreled reinvigoration of 1935’s “Bride of Frankenstein” that is always doing something a little extra in telling its unpredictable story of identity and the reclamation of the self.

From Los Angeles Times

In a song where vanity means being a “slave to makeup,” appearing willfully feminine might as well mean handing over your free will.

From Salon

But a source told the BBC: "To argue publicly that there was just one complaint is willfully misleading. They were presented to London in one dossier, but there were multiple complaints."

From BBC

“Any honest evaluation of that evidence would validate strongly keeping the endangerment finding in place, and the arguments for removing it are ideologically driven, willfully ignoring the evidence that’s out there,” Field said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• consciously
• knowingly
• pointedly
• purposely
• studiously
• voluntarily