How to Use willful in a Sentence

willful

adjective
Definition of willfulnext
Synonyms for willfulnext
  • He has shown a willful disregard for other people's feelings.
  • Most of the non-willful fines were in the hundreds of dollars.
    — oregonlive, 20 Apr. 2022
  • Her Ma comes across as brash, crass, willful and nasty in all the best ways.
    — Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 14 Dec. 2020
  • At the top of this list might well be his willful destruction of the Russian Army.
    — Michael Krepon, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2022
  • That was the first act of Tulsa’s willful forgetting: to bury the truth of what had happened.
    — Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Mar. 2021
  • This season focuses on the willful delusion of the wealthy.
    — Lauren Jackson, New York Times, 11 Dec. 2022
  • Her mother, 70, was booked on three counts of torture and three counts of willful cruelty to a child.
    — Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 10 Nov. 2022
  • The greed and willful blindness must be laid at the feet of his investors and financial partners.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2021
  • In effect, the public was dragged from willful ignorance by the truth.
    — The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2021
  • Mayorkas, 64, faced two charges from the House: willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and breach of public trust.
    — Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 7 Feb. 2024
  • Adella Tom was booked on three counts each of torture and willful cruelty to a child.
    — Gina Martinez, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2022
  • And so there's a willful destructiveness as much as there is a very strong creative urge in her.
    — Jessica Wang, EW.com, 10 Jan. 2023
  • Mayorkas, 64, now faces two charges from the House: willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and breach of public trust.
    — Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024
  • If the violation can be proved to be knowing or willful the amount is tripled.
    — Peter J Reilly, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
  • One was unruly, willful and disobedient, and the other was calm and easy to be around.
    — Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
  • Both are charged with murder and willful harming of a child, according to jail records.
    — Fox News, 12 Nov. 2021
  • But the willful swirl and the withholding of coherence are too extreme here.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2021
  • Leda observes Nina on the beach with her young daughter, who seems willful and moody.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 5 Sep. 2021
  • Where there is a will there is a way, but on some occasions being too willful can cause problems.
    — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 20 Aug. 2020
  • So be aware that the concept of willful endangerment could put you over that limit.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 3 June 2024
  • So this willful denial of what movies actually are has set in.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 July 2023
  • The man was charged with speeding and willful and wanton disregard for safety.
    — cleveland, 25 June 2020
  • If a jury finds that Equifax's error was willful, the company could be on the hook for up to $1,000 more in damages for each defendant.
    — Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2022
  • Putin’s key delusion is his willful failure to understand—and accept—how Ukraine has come to be.
    — Tarik Cyril Amar, Time, 4 Mar. 2022
  • Reagan was the victim of a tragic crime, Trump of what looks to many like willful and reckless courting of disaster.
    — Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2020
  • The continued embrace was a willful act by a public all too eager to dole out second and third chances to a winner.
    — Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2021
  • Students often don't show up for reasons that aren't willful: Some struggle with getting a ride to school.
    — Lily Altavena, Detroit Free Press, 17 Nov. 2021
  • Now he is guaranteed that the final weeks of the campaign will see the pandemic front and center, along with his willful dismissal of it.
    — Dan Balz, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Oct. 2020
  • 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
  • Cox wants to overturn the finding of willful contributory infringement, while Sony wants to reinstate the $1 billion verdict.
    — Ars Technica, 25 Nov. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'willful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: