willingly

American  

[wil-ing-lee] / ˈwɪl ɪŋ li /

adverb

1. in a consenting and often cheerful way.

   They volunteer for duty on faraway battlefields, willingly putting their lives on the line to fight and possibly die for their country.

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Other Word Forms

• overwillingly adverb
• prewillingly adverb
• quasi-willingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of willingly

First recorded before 900; equivalent to willing ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

If you do something willingly, you're perfectly happy to do it. Invite your friends to join you for hot fudge sundaes, your treat, and they'll willingly come along. When a person acts willingly, they are doing something of their own free will — in other words, they're glad to do it. Sometimes it's a no-brainer: you'll willingly jump in your aunt's waiting car when she offers to drive you home from school on a rainy day. At other times, doing something willingly is a marker of your good nature, like when you willingly step in to help your friend move.

Example Sentences

But after all the games missed and all the opportunities lost during the past 10 months, Arenas would never willingly give up another.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

It also alleged that Live Nation punished venues that didn’t willingly choose Ticketmaster by threatening to withdraw business opportunities with Live Nation’s other properties, including music festivals and artist promotions.

From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026

“We’re committed to deterring and finding the bad actors, manipulators, and those who willingly cheat.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

"We're committed to deterring and finding the bad actors, manipulators, and those who willingly cheat."

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

And Wang Lung would not willingly let him wed in the house, because of the spawn he would breed and one like him was enough.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

Related Words

• cheerfully
• freely
• readily
• voluntarily