willful
pronunciation
How to pronounce willful in British English:
UK ['wɪlfəl]
How to pronounce willful in American English:
US [ˈwɪlfəl]
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- Adjective:
- done by design
- habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
- by conscious design or purpose
Word Origin
- willful (adj.)
- also wilful, c. 1200, "strong-willed," usually in a bad sense, "obstinate, unreasonable," from will (n.) + -ful. From late 14c. as "eager" (to do something). Mid-14c., of actions, "done on purpose, intentional, due to one's own will." Related: Willfullness.
Example
- 1. And millions of workers are paying the price for their willful amnesia .
- 2. Richard attenborough played her husband , bill foster , as an asthmatic , broken man caught in a pathetic yet dangerous co-dependency with his willful wife .
- 3. Why we don 't know it : nigeria 's oil sector is plagued by corruption and willful ignorance , and that extends to accounting .
- 4. Still youthful at thirty-seven , and still hardworking after fifteen years on the throne , he could be notably willful and often shortsighted , but he was sincerely patriotic and everlastingly duty-bound .
- 5. It 's hard to see the end in sight , and there are sleepless nights peppered in our work weeks because of sick kiddos , nursing infants , or willful toddlers .