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.

---

Other Word Forms

• overwillingly adverb
• prewillingly adverb
• quasi-willingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of willingly

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

Example Sentences

"They gave their free time willingly at Lockerbie and went back home and yet nobody knows of them," Ross said.

From BBC

“We cannot knowingly and willingly increase the demands on our officers while reducing their workforce to the lowest levels in more than 20 years,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

And count on one thing: it will never willingly give them up.

From Salon

"A contract is signed willingly, even if they were not aware," he said.

From BBC

It’s an ode from a director to his star, to the chop-socky classics that inspired it and to every film nut willingly spending their day in a theater.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cheerfully
• freely
• readily
• voluntarily