willy-nilly

American  

[wil-ee-nil-ee] / ˈwɪl iˈnɪl i /

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 British  

/ ˌwɪlɪˈnɪlɪ /

adverb

1. whether desired or not

2. haphazardly

---

adjective

1. occurring or taking place whether desired or not

2. occurring haphazardly

Etymology

Origin of willy-nilly

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

Example Sentences

But the cedar waxwings didn’t just descend on the tree willy-nilly.

From Literature

It was against the rules, and I liked rules too much to break them all willy-nilly.

From Literature

Little lopsided houses were scattered willy-nilly, and the only big building was the mill, which stood on the edge of a forest.

From Literature

The reasons for this jobs stagnation aren’t clear, though one culprit might be the uncertainty created by up-down, willy-nilly tariff policy.

From The Wall Street Journal

You can’t blame him, when his supply chain would be vulnerable to willy-nilly tariffs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• haphazardly