willing
Americanadjective
-
disposed or consenting; inclined.
willing to go along.
- Synonyms:
- minded
-
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
-
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.
A seat at the table is too important to cede to whoever is willing to leak a photograph.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
“The company still has to prove how it can turn the product into a meaningful revenue stream, but the market is clearly willing to give Zuckerberg some credit for the opportunity.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Prosecuting barrister Lucy Organ told the court: ''This almost laughable incident demonstrates quite how far the defendant was willing to go in his deceit.''
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
"We are not afraid. We have strength, we have courage, and we are willing to make sacrifices," Prabowo said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
He just wasn’t willing to do what it would have taken to make a relationship work.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
