willy-nilly

[ wil-ee-nil-ee ]

/ ˈwɪl iˈnɪl i /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR willy-nilly ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

in a disorganized or unplanned manner; sloppily.

whether one wishes to or not; willingly or unwillingly: He'll have to do it willy-nilly.

adjective

shilly-shallying; vacillating.

disorganized, unplanned; sloppy: willy-nilly work.

Origin of willy-nilly

1600–10; from the phrase will ye, nill ye.See will¹, nill

Words nearby willy-nilly

Wills, Willstätter, will to power, willy, willyard, willy-nilly, willywacks, willy wagtail, willy-willy, Wilma, Wilmer

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for willy-nilly

In other words, he puts it off until he is forced to do it, willy-nilly.
South and South Central Africa|H. Frances Davidson
In the meantime here are six heathen alive and well, or at any rate well enough to support, willy-nilly, the rite of holy baptism.
Christopher Columbus, Complete|Filson Young
Gelsomino joins them, willy-nilly; for they fetch him there, because Clown has a joke to tell.
The Harlequinade|Dion Clayton Calthrop
Scuffy simply and promptly assumed a place in camp and Bucks became, willy-nilly, his sponsor.
The Mountain Divide|Frank H. Spearman

At Jamestown, willy-nilly, the old Governor was forced to promise reforms.
Pioneers of the Old South|Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for willy-nilly

willy-nilly

/ (ˌwɪlɪˈnɪlɪ) /

adverb

whether desired or not

haphazardly

adjective

occurring or taking place whether desired or not

occurring haphazardly

Word Origin for willy-nilly

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

单词	willy-nilly
释义	willy-nilly [ wil-ee-nil-ee ] / ˈwɪl iˈnɪl i / SEE SYNONYMS FOR willy-nilly ON THESAURUS.COM adverb in a disorganized or unplanned manner; sloppily. whether one wishes to or not; willingly or unwillingly: He'll have to do it willy-nilly. adjective shilly-shallying; vacillating. disorganized, unplanned; sloppy: willy-nilly work. Origin of willy-nilly 1600–10; from the phrase will ye, nill ye.See will¹, nill Words nearby willy-nilly Wills, Willstätter, will to power, willy, willyard, willy-nilly, willywacks, willy wagtail, willy-willy, Wilma, Wilmer Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for willy-nilly In other words, he puts it off until he is forced to do it, willy-nilly. South and South Central Africa\|H. Frances Davidson In the meantime here are six heathen alive and well, or at any rate well enough to support, willy-nilly, the rite of holy baptism. Christopher Columbus, Complete\|Filson Young Gelsomino joins them, willy-nilly; for they fetch him there, because Clown has a joke to tell. The Harlequinade\|Dion Clayton Calthrop Scuffy simply and promptly assumed a place in camp and Bucks became, willy-nilly, his sponsor. The Mountain Divide\|Frank H. Spearman At Jamestown, willy-nilly, the old Governor was forced to promise reforms. Pioneers of the Old South\|Mary Johnston British Dictionary definitions for willy-nilly willy-nilly / (ˌwɪlɪˈnɪlɪ) / adverb whether desired or not haphazardly adjective occurring or taking place whether desired or not occurring haphazardly Word Origin for willy-nilly Old English wile hē, nyle hē, literally: will he or will he not; nyle, from ne not + willan to will 1 Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Words related to willy-nilly haphazardly, ambivalent, inevitable, unavoidable, perforce
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willy-nilly

adverb

adjective

Origin of willy-nilly

Words nearby willy-nilly

Example sentences from the Web for willy-nilly

British Dictionary definitions for willy-nilly

adverb

adjective

Word Origin for willy-nilly

Words related to willy-nilly