variants
or wilful
1
: obstinately and often perversely self-willed
a stubborn and willful child
2
: done deliberately : intentional
willful disobedience
willfulness
noun
Examples of willful in a Sentence
a stubborn and willful child
He has shown a willful disregard for other people's feelings.
Recent Examples on the Web
But this season, showrunner Mike White pinpoints the willful decadence of the Western world, primarily through Yankees: the husband, wife, and 2.5 children of the Ratliff family, three freewheeling feminist matrons, plus a shady white bachelor and a single black mother.
—
Armond White, National Review, 9 Apr. 2025
Plaintiffs also can seek punitive damages if malice, fraud, knowledge or willful avoidance can be proven.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2025
The willful reluctance of Western policymakers to recognize the importance of cognitive warfare carries the risk of irreversible losses in power and influence worldwide, the key factors that determine strategic outcomes in global competition.
—Michael Miklaucic, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025
Staffing cuts to agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency are a willful cruelty one former leader of the agency hasn’t seen in her lifetime.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for willful
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Armond White, National Review, 9 Apr. 2025
Plaintiffs also can seek punitive damages if malice, fraud, knowledge or willful avoidance can be proven.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2025
The willful reluctance of Western policymakers to recognize the importance of cognitive warfare carries the risk of irreversible losses in power and influence worldwide, the key factors that determine strategic outcomes in global competition.
—Michael Miklaucic, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2025
Staffing cuts to agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency are a willful cruelty one former leader of the agency hasn’t seen in her lifetime.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for willful
Cite this Entry
“Willful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/willful. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
willful
adjective
will·ful
variants
or wilful
1
: stubbornly determined to have one's own way
a willful child
2
: done deliberately : intentional
willful obedience
willfulness
noun
Legal Definition
willful
adjective
will·ful
variants
or wilful
: not accidental : done deliberately or knowingly and often in conscious violation or disregard of the law, duty, or the rights of others
willful injury
willfully
adverb
willfulness
noun
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