willfulness

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Word: Willfulness

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition: Willfulness is the quality of being determined to do what you want, even if it means disobeying rules or ignoring advice. It often shows a lack of discipline or a refusal to follow what others say.

Usage Instructions:

• Use "willfulness" when talking about someone's stubbornness or their tendency to act on their own desires instead of following rules.
• It often has a negative connotation, meaning it can imply that someone is being difficult or irresponsible.

Example Sentences:

1. The child's willfulness made it hard for her parents to teach her good manners.
2. His willfulness in ignoring the safety protocols put everyone at risk.

Advanced Usage:

In more formal contexts, willfulness can refer to a deliberate choice to act in a way that goes against established norms or regulations, such as in legal discussions about willful misconduct.

Word Variants:

• Willful (adjective): Describing someone who is determined to do what they want regardless of the consequences.
  • Example: Her willful attitude often led her to make poor decisions.
• Willfully (adverb): Describing the manner of acting with determination to disregard rules.
  • Example: He willfully ignored the instructions given to him.

Different Meanings:

While "willfulness" primarily refers to disobedience and lack of discipline, it can also imply a strong sense of determination in a positive context, such as perseverance in achieving a goal. However, this positive meaning is less common.

Synonyms:

• Stubbornness
• Obstinacy
• Rebelliousness
• Defiance
• Intentionality (in a more neutral sense)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• "Bend the rules": To change rules slightly to suit one's own desires, often related to willfulness.

  • Example: She tends to bend the rules when it comes to her own schedule.

• "Go against the grain": To do something that is contrary to what is expected or usual, which can be an example of willfulness.

  • Example: His decision to quit his job without a backup plan really went against the grain of common sense.

Academic

Noun

1. the trait of being prone to disobedience and lack of discipline

Synonyms

• unruliness
• fractiousness
• wilfulness