Home / Dictionary / Willing

Willing Common

Willing has 7 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Adjective · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

the act of making a choice

"followed my father of my own volition"

2

The execution of a will.

"The executor must prove that the deceased was willing to sign the document before it can be accepted by the court."

"The willing was the person who offered his services freely to help out."

Verb
1

present participle of will

"The engine was willing to start despite the cold weather, even though I had been trying for an hour."

In plain English: To be willing is to say yes and agree to do something without being forced.

"The committee was willing to review the proposal again if new data became available."

Adjective
1

disposed or inclined toward

"a willing participant"

"willing helpers"

2

not brought about by coercion or force

"the confession was uncoerced"

3

Ready to do something that is not (can't be expected as) a matter of course.

"She was willing to hike ten miles in the rain just to find the lost trail marker before it disappeared completely."

In plain English: Willing means ready and happy to do something without being forced.

"She was willing to help her friend move into the new apartment."

Usage: Use willing to describe someone who voluntarily agrees to perform an action without reluctance or hesitation, often in contrast to being forced. It frequently pairs with the preposition "to" followed by either a verb ending in -ing or an infinitive (e.g., "willing to help").

Proper Noun
1

A surname​.

"The Willing family has lived on that farm for three generations."

Example Sentences
"She was willing to help her friend move into the new apartment." adj
"The willing was the person who offered his services freely to help out." noun
"The committee was willing to review the proposal again if new data became available." verb
See Also
voluntary compliant ready inclined matter of course lief deep pockets willings
Related Terms
Antonyms
unwilling
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
choice
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
intention

Origin

The word willing comes from the Old English verb willan, meaning "to wish" or "to want." It entered Middle English as a present participle describing someone who is eager to do something because they desire it.

Rhyming Words
ing ging ying sing ling xing ting zing fing hing qing ving ring jing ping king ning oing ding ming
Compare
Willing vs