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Showing results for willy-nilly. Search instead for willy+nilly.
Synonyms

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. occurring or taking place whether desired or not

  2. occurring haphazardly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of willy-nilly

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

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.