WILLINGLY Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

willingly

adverb

Definition of willingly

as in rather

by choice or preference I would not willingly eat liver, but sometimes I have no choice

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of willingly Carney remembered Goulding as someone who willingly took on difficult challenges, and Wong as someone his family could always depend on. — Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 The film’s central question, as Coon sees it, is why someone might willingly abandon a conventional life for an alternative community. — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026 For some activists, willingly accepting arrest becomes another visible demonstration of commitment. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 1 Oct. 2026 Current law says that if an accuser knowingly and willingly drinks too much, there is no crime for someone else to take advantage of the accuser’s incapacitation. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 Council member Dale Reynolds, who first made the motion to approve the ordinance, questioned whether there was any incentive for the public to willingly register their bikes. — Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 23 Sep. 2026 The front end simply carves into turns with the slightest shift of body position, leaning over willingly enough to eliminate conscious thought and hesitation right out of the gate. — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2026 Mahomes willingly sandwiched his body between two defenders for a 15-yard touchdown on a scramble. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026 Riggle noted that people may be unaware of the danger that Stewart willingly placed himself in while serving his country. — Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for willingly

Adverb

Some groups have also emphasized that public health officials should lead not with conversations about an individual child’s risk or potential benefit from vaccines, but rather the vaccines’ impact on society overall.

— Nicholas Florko, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026
Teddy bears and trains, baseballs and dolls dance through the air into Santa's enormous sack, which sits at Santa's feet, or rather Harry's, who is perched high on the throne at the back of the float, magnificent in white whiskers and red velvet.

— Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of rather

Adverb

Trump’s yearly average of removing 380,000 migrants forcibly, rather than voluntarily, is lower than Barack Obama’s average of 392,000 annually in his first term.

— Alec Dent, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026
Japanese websites were also voluntarily offline, including systems for daycare centers and video games, the Japanese tech news site ITmedia reported.

— Kevin Collier, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of voluntarily

Adverb

Definitely go for a dip, preferably at night under the impossibly starry sky, in one of the onsen pools camouflaged into the Japanese rock garden.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026
The Philadelphia Eagles' front office ought to address the Jalen Hurts situation publicly, preferably at a press conference.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of preferably

Adverb

Every team’s games will stream locally, with many franchises also airing contests on freely available over-the-air broadcast stations.

— Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2026
The business terms, which were originally supposed to go into effect on October 30th, appeared to give Meta permission to freely scrape the new sites that use its platforms, while using the material for AI training.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of freely

Adverb

Flexibility is key to the design; almost half of the building is devoted to a multipurpose space that can be readily subdivided into two identically sized spaces.

— Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Then came Fuller’s abrupt departure, a writers strike, and a showrunner shuffle, all of which seem to have contributed to an identity crisis that’s readily apparent in the current version of Crystal Lake.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of readily

Browse Nearby Words

willing

willingly

willingness

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“Willingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willingly. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of willingly

adverb

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