adj

wilful

WIHL-fuul

adj

Done deliberately and on purpose, especially something wrong or harmful.

"The judge described the damage as wilful destruction of property."

Stubbornly determined to do things one's own way.

"Their wilful daughter refused to follow any of the rules."

How to Use Wilful

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishIntentional (often about wrongdoing), or stubbornly set on having one's own way.

UK vs US

"Wilful" is the standard British spelling; American English generally uses "willful."

Common pairings

wilful neglect wilful child wilful blindness

more wilful comparative, wilfuler comparative, wilfuller comparative, most wilful superlative, wilfulest superlative, wilfullest superlative

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The judge described the damage as _____ destruction of property.

From Middle English wilful, formed from "will" plus the "-ful" suffix, meaning "full of one's own will."

skilful