willingly
Americanadverb
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There have been differing claims about whether the mercenaries in Evros are recruited willingly or under duress.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
It also alleged that Live Nation punished venues that didn’t willingly choose Ticketmaster by threatening to withdraw business opportunities with Live Nation’s other properties, including music festivals and artist promotions.
From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026
McElroy said the men spoke in code, with Grillo referring to the “production” and continually asking the witness what the plan was to convince Duarte to go willingly.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 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
“Indeed I fear we would have lingered on indefinitely had not our foreign friends prepared a more highly spiced entertainment. I think I should never willingly cease drifting in that dreamland.”
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
