Wilful

//ˈwɪlfʊl// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1
Intentional; deliberate. UK
"Knowingly or unknowingly, every therapist assumes that each client possesses the capacity to change through willful choice."
2
Stubborn and determined. UK
"Mary had taken the whim into her willful head, and Jane could not dissuade her."

Adjective

1
habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition wordnet
2
done by design wordnet

Synonyms

adamantine advertent bloody-minded conscious deliberate dogged

Antonyms

Example

"It's wilful ignorance, if you ask me."

Etymology

From Middle English wilful; equivalent to will + -ful.

Related phrases

wilful blindness wilful homicide wilful ignorance willful blindness willful ignorance

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.