Dictionary — ontologydriven

willy-nilly en · ADJ

Pronunciation

/ˌwɪl.iːˈnɪl.iː/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
/ˌwɪl.iˈnɪl.i/ (Canada, General-American, Scotland)
/ˌwil.iːˈnil.iː/ (India)
wĭl′ē-nĭl′ē
(General-American) audio
/ˌwəl.iːˈnəl.iː/ (New-Zealand)

Etymology

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.

Meanings

That happens whether willingly or unwillingly.
- [S]omeone saw thy willy-nilly nun / Vying a tress against our golden fern. 1877, Alfred Tennyson, Harold: A Drama, London: Henry S. King & Co., →OCLC, Act V, scene v, page 129:
- O my God, if man be only / A willy-nilly current of sensations— / Reaction needs must follow revel—yet— / Why feel remorse, he, knowing that he must have / Moved in the iron grooves of Destiny? 1882, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “The Promise of May”, in Locksley Hall Sixty Years After etc., London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., published 1886, →OCLC, Act II, page 119:
Seemingly random; haphazard; arbitrary.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
more willy-nilly	Degree=Cmp		lexicographic
willy nilly		alternative	lexicographic
most willy-nilly	Degree=Sup		lexicographic

Synonyms

nilly-willy

Translations (2)

fi joka tapauksessa tapahtuva (that happens whether willingly or unwillingly) · pl jak popadnie (that happens whether willingly or unwillingly)

willy-nilly en · ADV

Pronunciation

/ˌwɪl.iːˈnɪl.iː/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
/ˌwɪl.iˈnɪl.i/ (Canada, General-American, Scotland)
/ˌwil.iːˈnil.iː/ (India)
wĭl′ē-nĭl′ē
(General-American) audio
/ˌwəl.iːˈnəl.iː/ (New-Zealand)

Etymology

Meanings

Whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected; whether willingly or unwillingly.
- Whenever I see a long handsome neck, willy nilly, the thought will come uppermost—What a capital neck for carving! Those cursed executions! One can't rid one's mind of them. 1868, [Johann Wolfgang von] Goethe, translated by Arthur Duke Coleridge, Egmont. A Tragedy. […], London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, act II, page 40:
- [I]f you love him not, then you can love me, and, therefore, can come to please yourself, willy-nilly. What! am I to be thwarted in such a trifle? Willy-nilly, I say, I will marry thee. Come—we waste the time. 1889, Walter Besant, “A Slight Thing at the Best”, in For Faith and Freedom […], volume II, London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 243:
- The outer world is what we wake up to every morning of our lives, is the place where, willy-nilly, we must try to make our living. 1954, Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 36:
(idiomatic) Seemingly at random; haphazardly.
- The novel Alice in Wonderland describes a place where things happen willy-nilly.
- Some writers chasing money churn out novels willy-nilly.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
more willy-nilly	Degree=Cmp		lexicographic
most willy-nilly	Degree=Sup		lexicographic
willy nilly		alternative	lexicographic

Synonyms

nolens volens · nilly-willy

Translations (64)

fi miten sattuu (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · ar طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · sh хтио не хтио (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · pt de qualquer jeito (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · es sin son (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · pt de qualquer maneira (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · es guste o no guste (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · el εκών άκων (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · hu akár tetszik, akár nem (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · pl na chybił trafił (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · de willkürlich (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · de wohl oder übel (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · lt nori nenori (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · pl nolens volens (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · pt obrigatoriamente (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · es velis nolis (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · sh хтео не хтео (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · ca vulgui o no vulgui (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · cs chtě nechtě (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · es quiera o no quiera (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · cs nahodile (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · ar شاءَ مَن شاءَ وَأَبَى مَن أَبَى (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · ru тя́п-ля́п (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · fi miten sattuu (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · hy ուզած-չուզած (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · it volente o nolente (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · sv nolens volens (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · gd a dheòin no a dh'aindeoin (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · la per saturam (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · pt querendo ou não (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · it a casaccio (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · la volens nolens (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · el με το ζόρι (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · tt irekle-ireksez (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · de scheinbar zufällig (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · es quiérase o no (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · es a tontas y a locas (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · sv på måfå (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · de ob man will oder nicht (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · hu kénytelen-kelletlen (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · gd iochd air n-achd (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · de nolens volens (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · tr ister istemez (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · pl chcąc nie chcąc (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · ru во́лей-нево́лей (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · io vole o nevole (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · cs volky nevolky (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · ru хо́чешь не хо́чешь (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · es sea como sea (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · hu ha tetszik, ha nem (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · et tahes-tahtmata (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · de wahllos (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · hu így is, úgy is (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · de einfach so (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · es de cualquier manera (seemingly at random — see also haphazardly) · fr bon gré mal gré (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · ko 싫든 좋든 (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · nl willens nillens (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · fi halusimme tai emme (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · pt queira ou não queira (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · sh hteo ne hteo (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · la velim nōlim (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · sh htio ne htio (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected) · hy կամա թե ակամա (whether desired or not; without regard for consequences or wishes of those affected)