'Willy nilly' definitions:
Definition of 'Willy nilly'
From: GCIDE
- Willy nilly \Wil"ly nil"ly\ Whether I (he, she, they) want to or not. See {Will I, nill I}, etc., under 3d Will. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'willy nilly'
From: GCIDE
- Will \Will\, v. i. To be willing; to be inclined or disposed; to be pleased; to wish; to desire. [1913 Webster]
- And behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus . . . touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. --Matt. viii.
- 2, 3. [1913 Webster]
- Note: This word has been confused with will, v. i., to choose, which, unlike this, is of the weak conjugation. [1913 Webster]
- Will I, nill I, or Will ye, hill ye, or {Will he, nill he}, whether I, you, or he will it or not; hence, without choice; compulsorily; -- commonly abbreviated to {willy nilly}. "If I must take service willy nilly." --J. H. Newman. "Land for all who would till it, and reading and writing will ye, nill ye." --Lowell. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'willy nilly'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- all over,
- all over hell,
- at intervals,
- brokenly,
- by catches,
- by fits,
- by jerks,
- by skips,
- by snatches,
- come what may,
- compulsorily,
- disconnectedly,
- discontinuously,
- every which way,
- fitfully,
- from necessity,
- haphazardly,
- harum-scarum,
- helplessly,
- helter-skelter,
- here and there,
- higgledy-piggledy,
- hugger-mugger,
- in a jumble,
- in a mess,
- in a muddle,
- in confusion,
- in disarray,
- in disorder,
- in spots,
- inescapably,
- inevitably,
- infrequently,
- intermittently,
- necessarily,
- need,
- needfully,
- needs,
- nolens volens,
- occasionally,
- of necessity,
- per saltum,
- perforce,
- randomly,
- requisitely,
- skimble-skamble,
- skippingly,
- unavoidably,
- without choice