Standard Lemma guide

wilful

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈwɪlfʊl/
  • /ˈwɪlfəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪlfəl

1

adj

Meaning 1

Intentional; deliberate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: volitional, voluntary, advertent, conscious, witting, deliberate, intentional, on purpose, purposeful, purposive, volitational, wilful

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Stubborn and determined.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: obstinate, self-willed, headstrong

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: froward, headstrong, self-willed, willful

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

done by design

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the insult was intentional
  • willful disobedience

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: willful

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English wilful; equivalent to will + -ful.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: умишлен (umišlen) — intentional
  • Bulgarian: преднамерен (prednameren) — intentional
  • Finnish: tahallinen — intentional
  • Finnish: tarkoitettu — intentional
  • Finnish: harkittu — intentional
  • Finnish: tietoinen — intentional
  • Galician: intencional — intentional
  • Galician: intencionado — intentional
  • German: vorsätzlich — intentional
  • German: absichtlich — intentional
  • German: willentlich — intentional
  • Hungarian: szándékos — intentional
  • Portuguese: intencional — intentional
  • Romanian: voit — intentional
  • Romanian: deliberat — intentional
  • Romanian: intenționat — intentional
  • Bulgarian: своенравен (svoenraven) — stubborn
  • Finnish: itsepintainen — stubborn
  • Finnish: itsepäinen — stubborn
  • Finnish: jääräpäinen — stubborn
  • Finnish: joustamaton — stubborn
  • Finnish: omapäinen — stubborn
  • Galician: persistente — stubborn
  • Galician: obstinado — stubborn
  • Galician: voluntarioso — stubborn
  • German: eigenwillig — stubborn
  • German: eigensinnig — stubborn
  • Hungarian: akaratos — stubborn
  • Hungarian: makacs — stubborn
  • Hungarian: önfejű — stubborn
  • Irish: ceanntréan — stubborn
  • Māori: pokerenoa — stubborn
  • Māori: whakangutungutu — stubborn
  • Portuguese: persistente — stubborn
  • Portuguese: obstinado — stubborn
  • Portuguese: voluntarioso — stubborn
  • Romanian: încăpățânat — stubborn
  • Romanian: îndărătnic — stubborn
  • Russian: упрямый (uprjamyj) — stubborn