willy-nilly

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• wĭl′ē-nĭl′ē
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• Australian, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌwɪl.iːˈnɪl.iː/
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• Canada, General-American, Scotland: /ˌwɪl.iˈnɪl.i/
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• New-Zealand: /ˌwəl.iːˈnəl.iː/
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• India: /ˌwil.iːˈnil.iː/
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• rhymes with -ɪli
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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.

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: joka tapauksessa tapahtuva — that happens whether willingly or unwillingly
• Polish: jak popadnie — that happens whether willingly or unwillingly
• Arabic: طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا (ṭawʕan ʔaw karhan) — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Arabic: شاءَ مَن شاءَ وَأَبَى مَن أَبَى (šāʔa man šāʔa waʔabā man ʔabā) — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Armenian: ուզած-չուզած (uzac-čʻuzac) — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Armenian: կամա թե ակամա (kama tʻe akama) — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Catalan: vulgui o no vulgui — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Czech: chtě nechtě — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Czech: volky nevolky — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Dutch: willens nillens — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Estonian: tahes-tahtmata — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Finnish: halusimme tai emme — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Finnish: miten sattuu — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• French: bon gré mal gré — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• German: wohl oder übel — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• German: ob man will oder nicht — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• German: nolens volens — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Greek: εκών άκων (ekón ákon) — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Greek: με το ζόρι (me to zóri) — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Hungarian: akár tetszik, akár nem — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Hungarian: ha tetszik, ha nem — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Hungarian: így is, úgy is — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Hungarian: kénytelen-kelletlen — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Ido: vole o nevole — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Italian: volente o nolente — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Korean: 싫든 좋든 (silteun joteun) — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Latin: volens nolens — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Latin: velim nōlim — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Lithuanian: nori nenori — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Polish: chcąc nie chcąc — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Polish: nolens volens — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Portuguese: querendo ou não — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Portuguese: queira ou não queira — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Portuguese: obrigatoriamente — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Russian: во́лей-нево́лей (vólej-nevólej) — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Russian: хо́чешь не хо́чешь (xóčešʹ ne xóčešʹ) — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Scottish Gaelic: a dheòin no a dh'aindeoin — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Scottish Gaelic: iochd air n-achd — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Serbo-Croatian: хтео не хтео — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Serbo-Croatian: хтио не хтио — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Serbo-Croatian: hteo ne hteo — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Serbo-Croatian: htio ne htio — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Spanish: guste o no guste — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Spanish: quiera o no quiera — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Spanish: quiérase o no — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Spanish: sea como sea — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Spanish: velis nolis — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Swedish: nolens volens — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Tatar: irekle-ireksez — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Turkish: ister istemez — whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected
• Czech: nahodile — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Finnish: miten sattuu — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• German: einfach so — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• German: scheinbar zufällig — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• German: wahllos — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• German: willkürlich — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Italian: a casaccio — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Latin: per saturam — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Polish: na chybił trafił — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Portuguese: de qualquer jeito — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Portuguese: de qualquer maneira — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Russian: тя́п-ля́п (tjáp-ljáp) — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Spanish: a tontas y a locas — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Spanish: de cualquier manera — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Spanish: sin son — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly
• Swedish: på måfå — seemingly at random — see also haphazardly