willingly
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When the time came for Elliott Appel’s dad to stop driving, he willingly gave up his car keys.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
He is the man to whom those who believe in freedom and democracy now look for leadership, and we should all be grateful that he has willingly taken on the role.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
They added: "We refuse to be intimidated by those whose actions we believe are being taken in bad faith and with the intent to profit from the life of someone who willingly gave so much."
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
If anything, he’s a true believer in the American Dream, willingly and literally breaking his back to put food on his table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Some of these people went willingly, thinking that they might be freed.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
