willy-nilly
1
8.2
Happens when you cannot choose, whether you like it or not
- idiom
- /ˈwɪliˈnɪli/
- Informal
:
a pesar de
Examples
-
But you don't want to go Willy nilly just yet because it's very important that you know where the net cups are going to set.
-
You must wear the uniform willy-nilly, even if you don't like it.
-
He ended up doing the project willy-nilly, without any clear plan.
-
The meeting will take place willy-nilly, regardless of whether everyone is ready.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
willy-nilly positive
Etymology
Willy-nilly comes from an old English pairing of will ('want') and nill ('not want'), literally meaning 'will or will not'. So it originally meant 'whether you like it or not', which is why we use it when something happens without a choice.