willing
Americanadjective
-
disposed or consenting; inclined.
willing to go along.
- Synonyms:
- minded
-
cheerfully consenting or ready.
a willing worker.
-
done, given, borne, used, etc., with cheerful readiness.
adjective
-
favourably disposed or inclined; ready
-
cheerfully or eagerly compliant
-
done, given, accepted, etc, freely or voluntarily
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of willing
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; see will 2, -ing 2
Explanation
If you're willing to do something, you're agreeable or ready. A willing participant in your play is someone who won't have to be coerced into taking part, but is happy to join you on stage. Imagine that your neighbor asks whether you're willing to feed her cat while she's out of town. If you're open to helping her, perhaps even enthusiastic about spending time with a friendly cat, you're willing. Someone who's not willing would have to be persuaded or forced to do it. You can also use this adjective to mean "readily or enthusiastically done," as in the willing support you offer your best friend when she runs for class president.
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.
And the time he said he was willing to buy Twitter, only to try to back out of the deal?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
“It’s not a permanent opposition,” he says, “There’s enough overlap already that we might see a staffer class that starts in DSA and is willing to entertain joining MYD.”
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026
Macauley credits the achievement to a "beautiful partnership" with students and researchers who were willing to challenge established ideas about Alzheimer's disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Andrew Robertson: Some trademark surging runs and always willing to join the attack but picked up an injury.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
“Everyone makes sacrifices. A man needs to decide what price he’s willing to pay to live free.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
