willing
Americanadjective
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disposed or consenting; inclined.
willing to go along.
- Synonyms:
- minded
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cheerfully consenting or ready.
a willing worker.
-
done, given, borne, used, etc., with cheerful readiness.
adjective
-
favourably disposed or inclined; ready
-
cheerfully or eagerly compliant
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done, given, accepted, etc, freely or voluntarily
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of willing
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; see will 2, -ing 2
Explanation
If you're willing to do something, you're agreeable or ready. A willing participant in your play is someone who won't have to be coerced into taking part, but is happy to join you on stage. Imagine that your neighbor asks whether you're willing to feed her cat while she's out of town. If you're open to helping her, perhaps even enthusiastic about spending time with a friendly cat, you're willing. Someone who's not willing would have to be persuaded or forced to do it. You can also use this adjective to mean "readily or enthusiastically done," as in the willing support you offer your best friend when she runs for class president.
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.
Why Graham is willing to gaslight his followers like this isn’t a mystery.
From Salon • May 15, 2026
There are luxuries Mike Ness is willing to pay for, and there are luxuries for which he’d rather find a workaround.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
China may be willing to put a stronger renminbi on the table, something the U.S. has been seeking for years, Green says.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez responded that Cuba was willing to work with the Catholic Church, and was ready to hear the U.S. offer, of which it had no details as of yet.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Mr. Kravitz launched into a lecture on his standards for entries he was willing to submit to the merchants' association.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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.
