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.
Carvana’s site shows that it is willing to ship a number of new vehicles from the Dallas store to buyers well outside the area without charge.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
But by the year’s end—when those midterms are over—they may be willing to intervene if the FDA hasn’t already acted.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
Werhun: Most of our clients are not bad people, they’re paying for a service we’re willing to provide.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
Incredibly, at this critical juncture in financial history, after which so much changed so quickly, the only constraint in the subprime mortgage market was a shortage of people willing to bet against it.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
