willingly

American  

[wil-ing-lee] / ˈwɪl ɪŋ li /

adverb

1. in a consenting and often cheerful way.

   They volunteer for duty on faraway battlefields, willingly putting their lives on the line to fight and possibly die for their country.

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Other Word Forms

• overwillingly adverb
• prewillingly adverb
• quasi-willingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of willingly

First recorded before 900; equivalent to willing ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

If you do something willingly, you're perfectly happy to do it. Invite your friends to join you for hot fudge sundaes, your treat, and they'll willingly come along. When a person acts willingly, they are doing something of their own free will — in other words, they're glad to do it. Sometimes it's a no-brainer: you'll willingly jump in your aunt's waiting car when she offers to drive you home from school on a rainy day. At other times, doing something willingly is a marker of your good nature, like when you willingly step in to help your friend move.

Example Sentences

This case presented a strikingly simple question: Does it violate a journalist’s First Amendment rights if they are arrested for requesting and publishing information that a government employee willingly hands over?

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026

“I have been tested my entire career, including eight times last season alone, and have never tested positive. I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

"We're committed to deterring and finding the bad actors, manipulators, and those who willingly cheat."

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

“We’re committed to deterring and finding the bad actors, manipulators, and those who willingly cheat.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Relocated to a site with low oxygen levels, it willingly releases the bound oxygen.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• cheerfully
• freely
• readily
• voluntarily