I. wil ‧ ful BrE AmE British English , willful American English /ˈwɪlf ə l/ adjective
1 . continuing to do what you want, even after you have been told to stop – used to show disapproval:
a wilful child
2 . wilful damage/disobedience/exaggeration etc deliberate damage etc, when you know that what you are doing is wrong
—wilfully adverb
—wilfulness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ stubborn refusing to change your mind, even when people think you are wrong or are being unreasonable:
Dave can be really stubborn once he’s made up his mind.
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a stubborn old man
▪ obstinate very stubborn, in way that is annoying and unreasonable:
I have never met anyone so obstinate.
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his obstinate refusal to compromise
▪ pig-headed informal refusing to change your mind, even when people think that what you want to do is stupid:
I told her she was making a big mistake but she was too pig-headed to listen.
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I wish you’d stop being so pig-headed!
▪ headstrong very determined to do what you want, often without thinking about the results of your actions – used especially about young people:
As a girl, she had been lively and headstrong.
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the headstrong impulsiveness of youth
▪ wilful British English ( also willful American English ) doing what you want, even after you have been told to stop, or when you know that it is wrong – used especially about children:
He was a spoiled and wilful child, who always got his own way.
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She was passionate and wilful – exactly the sort of creature a man ought to avoid.
▪ ornery American English behaving in an unreasonable and often angry way, especially by doing the opposite of what people want you to do:
an ornery kid
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Teenagers can be ornery and rude.
II. will ‧ ful /ˈwɪlf ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
the American spelling of ↑ wilful