willy-nilly

[ wil-ee-nil-ee ]

adverb

1. in a disorganized or unplanned manner; sloppily.
2. whether one wishes to or not; willingly or unwillingly:

   He'll have to do it willy-nilly.

adjective

1. shilly-shallying; vacillating.
2. disorganized, unplanned; sloppy:

   willy-nilly work.

willy-nilly

/ ˌwɪlɪˈnɪlɪ /

adverb

1. whether desired or not
2. haphazardly

adjective

1. occurring or taking place whether desired or not
2. occurring haphazardly

Word History and Origins

Origin of willy-nilly¹

1600–10; from the phrase will ye, nill ye. See will ¹, nill

Word History and Origins

Origin of willy-nilly¹

Old English wile hē, nyle hē, literally: will he or will he not; nyle, from ne not + willan to will ¹

Example Sentences

Plus, the West had antibiotics — which spread willy-nilly not just in medications, but in toothpaste, lipstick and, perhaps most dangerously, into farm animals to promote growth.

From Salon

These are the people who, despairing of finding their way out honestly, simply smash and bash their way through the corn willy-nilly.

From Los Angeles Times

McCullough told police: "When I was hitting her it was like someone badly playing the xylophone, it was willy-nilly."

From BBC

“I’m not saying jump ship willy-nilly, but you do want to make sure that you’re getting the competitive rate,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

“There is little data to support these uses, and it’s a really risky proposition to be using this drug willy-nilly to treat these sorts of conditions,” said Alexander, the John Hopkins professor.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• haphazardly