willpower
Americannoun
noun
-
the ability to control oneself and determine one's actions
-
firmness of will
Etymology
Origin of willpower
First recorded in 1870–75; will 2 ( def. ) + power ( def. )
Explanation
Willpower is the ability to control or restrain yourself. If you bake brownies and can keep yourself from tasting them until after dinner, you can thank your willpower. A less descriptive — but simpler — way to say willpower is simply will. Whichever word you prefer, you can use it to describe someone's deliberate or purposeful control. In the case of willpower, the person is likely to be resisting a temptation or impulse. It takes willpower not to argue with someone whose opinions make you angry, and willpower to eat just one potato chip.
Vocabulary lists containing willpower
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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.
Willpower might be key to getting off the couch to exercise, but bacteria may lend a helping hand.
From Science Magazine • Dec. 14, 2022
Finding Willpower: What works is liking your life the way it is.
From Washington Post • Dec. 11, 2022
"I told you. Don't ever doubt me again. Willpower, strength and determination, it will take you places," she declared after her title win.
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2021
Willpower, then, is a word ascribed to people who manage to do what they said they were going to do: it’s a judgment about their behaviour.
From The Guardian • Jan. 7, 2017
“I just made up my mind to do it. Willpower. Willpower goes a long way toward getting what you want, Pilar.”
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
