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

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Etymology

Origin of willingly

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

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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

See Examples For:

willingly

It was easy for them to take you for granted because you did so willingly and without complaint.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2026

Tanden willingly participates in the roasting, and as a woman of color, she’s destined to be on the brunt end of the internet, but as far as she’s concerned, it’s all been worth it.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

In Friday's verdict, external, jurors did not find that Apple had infringed the patents in question willingly.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

It’s a defense so potentially good, defensive tackle Aaron Donald willingly threw himself back into the grind after two years out of the game to join it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

He must have been crazy thinking Citra would allow him to willingly throw the match.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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Related Words

• cheerfully
• freely
• readily
• voluntarily

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