willful

adjective

will·​ful ˈwil-fəl 

variants or wilful

1

: obstinately and often perversely self-willed

a stubborn and willful child

2

: done deliberately : intentional

willful disobedience

willfully

ˈwil-fə-lē 

adverb

willfulness noun

Synonyms

• balky
• contrary
• contumacious
• defiant
• disobedient
• froward
• incompliant
• insubordinate
• intractable
• obstreperous
• rebel
• rebellious
• recalcitrant
• recusant
• refractory
• restive
• ungovernable
• unruly
• untoward
• wayward

Choose the Right Synonym for willful

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 for refractory children

recalcitrant suggests determined resistance to or defiance of authority.

acts of sabotage by a recalcitrant populace

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

a willful disregard for the rights of others

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

a headstrong young cavalry officer

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

The district attorney’s office has charged Jones with one count of murder and one count of willful cruelty to a child causing possible injury or death. —Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024

Under civil tax law, fraudulent returns or willful attempts to evade taxes allow the IRS to examine records indefinitely. —Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

Adorno, in his own writing about his time in Italy, was more sensitive to the kind of willful projections his countrymen were making onto the place, which was already overrun by tourism. —Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

The charges included conspiracy to obstruct justice and 32 counts of willful retention of national defense information. —Niall Stanage, The Hill, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

willful

adjective

will·​ful

variants or wilful

ˈwil-fəl 

1

: stubbornly determined to have one's own way

a willful child

2

: done deliberately : intentional

willful obedience

willfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

willfulness noun

Legal Definition

willful

adjective

will·​ful

variants or wilful

ˈwil-fəl 

: 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