willy-nilly

[wil-ee-nil-ee]

adverb

1. in a disorganized or unplanned manner; sloppily.

2. whether one wishes to or not; willingly or unwillingly.

   He'll have to do it willy-nilly.

adjective

1. shilly-shallying; vacillating.

2. disorganized, unplanned; sloppy.

   willy-nilly work.

willy-nilly

/ ˌwɪlɪˈnɪlɪ /

adverb

1. whether desired or not

2. haphazardly

adjective

1. occurring or taking place whether desired or not

2. occurring haphazardly

Word History and Origins

Origin of willy-nilly¹

1600–10; from the phrase will ye, nill ye. See will ¹, nill

Word History and Origins

Origin of willy-nilly¹

Old English wile hē, nyle hē, literally: will he or will he not; nyle, from ne not + willan to _will ¹

Example Sentences

This kind of immigration reform has eluded Congress for decades, but a clear-eyed assessment shows that merely welcoming newcomers willy-nilly won’t pay off for most migrants or for California.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Make no mistake: the Trump administration is the instigator here, and not just because they sent ICE in to start nabbing people willy-nilly.

Read more on Salon

My character is really out there, not out there willy-nilly, but she will yell at people if they are being rude, wasteful or if she feels it’s unjust.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She told him she did not treat the allegation "willy-nilly".

Read more on BBC

Plus, the West had antibiotics — which spread willy-nilly not just in medications, but in toothpaste, lipstick and, perhaps most dangerously, into farm animals to promote growth.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• haphazardly