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

Throughout, he seems almost willfully incurious about why people hunt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

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 • Feb. 17, 2026

Aggregators willfully take advantage of news avoidance, narrow attention spans and short fuses.

From Salon • Jan. 21, 2026

Lawyers for the group contend the city is willfully obfuscating to cover up its inadequate efforts to live up to its settlement.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

My narrative, while willfully episodic in character—no comprehensive coverage of all events is claimed—follows a chronological line, with one significant exception.

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

Related Words

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