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willful

adjective

will·fulˈwil-fəl How to pronounce willful (audio)

variants orwilful

Synonyms ofwillful next

:obstinately and often perversely self-willed

a stubborn andwillful child

:done deliberately:intentional

willful disobedience

willfully

ˈwil-fə-lē How to pronounce willful (audio)

adverb

willfulnessnoun

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Choose the Right Synonym forwillful

unruly,ungovernable,intractable,refractory,recalcitrant,willful,headstrong mean not submissive to government or control.

unruly implies lack of discipline or incapacity for discipline and often connotes waywardness or turbulence of behavior.

unruly children

ungovernable implies either an escape from control or guidance or a state of being unsubdued and incapable of controlling oneself or being controlled by others.

ungovernable rage

intractable suggests stubborn resistance to guidance or control.

intractable opponents of the hazardous-waste dump

refractory stresses resistance to attempts to manage or to mold.

special schools forrefractory children

recalcitrant suggests determined resistance to or defiance of authority.

acts of sabotage by arecalcitrant populace

willful implies an obstinate determination to have one's own way.

awillful disregard for the rights of others

headstrong suggests self-will impatient of restraint, advice, or suggestion.

aheadstrong young cavalry officer

Examples ofwillful in a Sentence

a stubborn andwillful child He has shown awillful disregard for other people's feelings.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage.Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.Send us feedback.

Court records also show Mabry, of Oakland, has two prior felony convictions: second-degree robbery in February 2013 and evading an officer withwillfuldisregard for public safety in June 2022.—

Harry Harris,Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025The second is either a massive misjudgment or another example ofwillfuldeception.—

Colin Pascal,Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2025Woodland police detectives on Tuesday arrested Christian Jacobo, 22, on suspicion of murder andwillfulcruelty toward a child causing death, police officials said in a Friday news release.—

Darrell Smith,Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2025But this season, showrunner Mike White pinpoints thewillfuldecadence 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. 2025See All Example Sentences forwillful