willy-nilly
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willy-nilly
- /ˌwɪl.iːˈnɪl.iː/ Australia, UK
- /ˌwɪl.iˈnɪl.i/ Canada, US, Scotland
- /ˌwəl.iːˈnəl.iː/ New Zealand
- /ˌwil.iːˈnil.iː/ India
Rhymes with -ɪli
Where it comes from
Literally, “Be one willing to, be one unwilling to”. From will I, nill I (“whether I want to or not”, with both verbs in the subjunctive), reflecting the old (viz. pre-Great Vowel Shift) pronunciation of I as ee, not yet as eye. Conflated with will he, nill he (with silent h) and will ye, nill ye (with yod dropping), meaning likewise “be he/you willing or not”.
For more, refer to the individual component words:
* will (“to desire, to wish, to be willing”) (archaic)
* nill (“to not desire or wish, to be unwilling”) (obsolete)
Compare Latin volens nolens, velim nōlim and English harum-scarum, which have this same meaning.
adverb more willy-nilly · most willy-nilly · willy nilly
-
Whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected; whether willingly or unwillingly.
Whenever I see a long handsome neck, willy nilly, the thought will come uppermost—What a capital neck for carving! Those cursed executions! One can't rid one's mind of them.
Similar: nilly-willy, nolens volens
- Seemingly at random; haphazardly. The novel Alice in Wonderland describes a place where things happen willy-nilly.
adjective more willy-nilly · most willy-nilly · willy nilly
-
That happens whether willingly or unwillingly.
[S]omeone saw thy willy-nilly nun / Vying a tress against our golden fern.
Similar: nilly-willy
- Seemingly random; haphazard; arbitrary.
Translations
Every language
adv whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
| Español | guste o no guste, quiera o no quiera, quiérase o no, sea como sea, velis nolis |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 싫든 좋든 silteun joteun |
| Português | querendo ou não, queira ou não queira, obrigatoriamente |
| Français | bon gré mal gré |
| Deutsch | wohl oder übel, ob man will oder nicht, nolens volens |
| Italiano | volente o nolente |
| Ελληνικά | εκών άκων ekón ákon, με το ζόρι me to zóri |
| Русский | во́лей-нево́лей vólej-nevólej, хо́чешь не хо́чешь xóčešʹ ne xóčešʹ |
| العربية | طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا ṭawʕan ʔaw karhan, شاءَ مَن شاءَ وَأَبَى مَن أَبَى šāʔa man šāʔa waʔabā man ʔabā |
adv seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
| Español | a tontas y a locas, de cualquier manera, sin son |
|---|---|
| Português | de qualquer jeito, de qualquer maneira |
| Deutsch | einfach so, scheinbar zufällig, wahllos, willkürlich |
| Italiano | a casaccio |
| Русский | тя́п-ля́п tjáp-ljáp |
Talk about this word "willy-nilly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/willy-nilly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. willy-nilly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/willy-nilly "willy-nilly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/willy-nilly.Cite this
@misc{willy_nilly_2026,
title = {willy-nilly},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/willy-nilly},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
