Will — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /wəl/ (verb) /ˈwil/ (noun)

Meaning & Definition of Will

Will (verb)

  1. —used to express futurity
  2. —used to express desire, choice, willingness, consent, or in negative constructions refusal
  3. —used to express a command, exhortation, or injunction
  4. to cause or change by an act of will; also, to try to do so
  5. intend, purpose
  6. decree, ordain

Will (noun)

  1. a legal declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of their property or estate after death; especially, a written instrument legally executed by which a person makes disposition of their estate to take effect after death
  2. desire, wish
  3. disposition, inclination

Will (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to give by means of a will

    "willed their house to their adult children"

    similar: bequeath, leave
    related: deed, hand down, hand on, pass (down), devise

  2. to see fit

    "do as you will—I wash my hands of the whole affair"

    similar: choose, like, please, want, wish
    related: ache (for), covet, crave, desire, die (for), fancy, hanker (for), hunger (for), itch (for), long (for), lust (for or after), pant (after), pine (for), repine (for), sigh (for), thirst (for), yearn (for), decide, determine, resolve

Will (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions

    "she kept her face still by sheer force of will"

    similar: continence, restraint, self-command, self-containment, self-control, self-discipline, self-government, self-mastery, self-possession, self-restraint, willpower
    related: self-abnegation, self-denial, moderateness, moderation, temperance, temperateness, determination, nerve, command, control, discipline, mastery, abnegation, abstention, avoidance, eschewal, forbearance, abstinence, soberness, sobriety, aplomb, assurance, composure, confidence, coolness, equanimity, poise, self-confidence, discretion
    near: gratification, indulgence, self-indulgence, excessiveness, immoderacy, intemperance, intemperateness, overindulgence, demerit, failing, fault, feebleness, foible, frailty, shortcoming, vice, weakness, indiscipline, unconstraint, unreserve, unreservedness, unrestraint

  2. the act or power of making one's own choices or decisions

    "you cannot force me to do anything against my own will"

    similar: accord, autonomy, choice, free will, self-determination, volition
    related: election, preference, selection, bent, devices, disposition, inclination, leaning, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency, alternative, discretion, option, pick, way
    near: coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, force, pressure

Related Entry: Will-less (adjective)

Will-less is a different word from Will. The synonyms below are for will-less, not for will.

  1. not made or done willingly or by choice

    "her involvement in the after-school program was will-less—her parents made her go"

    similar: coerced, forced, involuntary, unintended, unintentional, unwilling
    related: accidental, unplanned, unpremeditated, automatic, impulsive, instinctive, spontaneous, unprompted, inadvertent, unconscious, unknowing, unwitting
    opposite: deliberate, freewill, intentional, uncoerced, unforced, voluntary, willful, willing
    near: advised, conscious, considered, knowing, planned, premeditated, premeditative, prepense, purposeful, volitional, self-imposed, self-inflicted

Related Entry: Will-o'-the-wisp (noun)

Will-o'-the-wisp is a different word from Will. The synonyms below are for will-o'-the-wisp, not for will.

  1. as in mirage, ignis fatuus

    similar: ignis fatuus, mirage, chimera, conceit, daydream, delusion, dream, fancy, fantasy, figment, hallucination, illusion, nonentity, phantasm, pipe dream, unreality, vision, brainchild, idea, concoction, fable, fabrication, fiction, invention, envisaging, imaging, visualization, cloud-cuckoo-land, cloudland, Shangri-la, utopia, daymare, nightmare
    opposite: actuality, fact, reality

Related Entry: Will-o'-the-wisps (noun)

Will-o'-the-wisps is a different word from Will. The synonyms below are for will-o'-the-wisps, not for will.

  1. as in mirages, ignes fatui

    similar: ignes fatui, mirages, chimeras, conceits, daydreams, delusions, dreams, fancies, fantasies, figments, hallucinations, illusions, nonentities, phantasms, pipe dreams, unrealities, visions, brainchildren, ideas, concoctions, fables, fabrications, fictions, inventions, visualizations, cloud-cuckoo-lands, cloudlands, Shangri-las, utopias, daymares, nightmares
    opposite: actualities, facts, realities

Related Entry: Free will (noun)

Free will is a different word from Will. The synonyms below are for free will, not for will.

  1. the act or power of making one's own choices or decisions

    "all of the workers at the homeless shelter are unpaid and are there of their own free will"

    similar: accord, autonomy, choice, self-determination, volition, will
    related: election, preference, selection, bent, devices, disposition, inclination, leaning, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency, alternative, discretion, option, pick, way
    near: coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, force, pressure

Related Entry: Self-will (noun)

Self-will is a different word from Will. The synonyms below are for self-will, not for will.

  1. a steadfast adherence to an opinion, purpose, or course of action in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion

    "a schoolboy with a streak of self-will and rebellion"

    similar: bullheadedness, doggedness, hardheadedness, intransigence, mulishness, obduracy, obdurateness, obstinacy, obstinateness, opinionatedness, pertinaciousness, pertinacity, pigheadedness, self-opinionatedness, stubbornness, willfulness
    related: anal-retentiveness, perverseness, perversity, waywardness, wrongheadedness, adamancy, determination, implacability, inexorability, inflexibility, inveteracy, perseverance, persistence, persistency, relentlessness, resolve, single-mindedness, steadfastness, stick-to-itiveness, tenaciousness, tenacity, firmness, hardness, rigor, rigorousness, sternness, strictness, narrow-mindedness, rigidity, rigidness, bloody-mindedness (chiefly British), cantankerousness, contrariness, cussedness, balkiness, contumacy, defiance, disobedience, frowardness, immovability, immovableness, insubordination, intractability, obstreperousness, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, recalcitrancy, refractoriness, unruliness
    near: broad-mindedness, open-mindedness, reasonability, reasonableness, receptiveness, receptivity, acceptance, acquiescence, flexibility, pliability, pliableness, pliancy, pliantness, compliance, docility, obedience, subordinateness, subordination, submission, surrender, willingness, yielding, slavishness, subservience, subserviency

Related Entry: Ill will (noun)

Ill will is a different word from Will. The synonyms below are for ill will, not for will.

  1. an unfriendly feeling; a feeling of dislike

    "We bear no ill will toward each other."

    similar: animosity, antagonism, antipathy, bitterness, enmity, grudge, hostility, jaundice, mean-spiritedness, rancor, resentment, cattiness, despite, hatefulness, malevolence, malice, maliciousness, malignance, malignancy, malignity, meanness, nastiness, spite, spitefulness, spleen, venom, viciousness, abusiveness, cruelty, abhorrence, abomination, execration, hate, hatred, loathing, despicableness, invidiousness, vengefulness, vindictiveness, aversion, disgust, distaste, horror, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion, bitchery, bitchiness, contempt, disdain, jealousy, pique, scorn, bile, virulence, vitriol
    opposite: devotion, love, passion, amiability, amicability, amity, civility, cordiality, friendliness, hospitality, adoration, ardor, infatuation, veneration, worship, affection, charity, kindliness, kindness, comity, empathy, friendship, goodwill, sympathy, understanding

Related Entry: Traffic (noun)

Traffic is a different word from Will. The synonyms below are for traffic, not for will.

  1. the buying and selling of goods especially on a large scale and between different places

    "they contributed money to an environmental group that works to end the traffic of endangered animals"

    similar: business, commerce, marketplace, trade
    related: free trade, black market, gray market, dealings, horse-trading, e-tail, merchandising, retailing, wholesaling, bartering

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Will

The most common words with a similar meaning to Will:

bequeath, leave, choose, like, please, want, wish, continence, restraint, self-command, self-containment, self-control, self-discipline, self-government, self-mastery, self-possession, self-restraint, willpower, accord, autonomy, choice, free will, self-determination, volition

Related Words for Will

deed, hand down, hand on, pass (down), devise, ache (for), covet, crave, desire, die (for), fancy, hanker (for), hunger (for), itch (for), long (for), lust (for or after), pant (after), pine (for), repine (for), sigh (for), thirst (for), yearn (for), decide, determine, resolve, self-abnegation, self-denial, moderateness, moderation, temperance

Near Antonyms of Will

gratification, indulgence, self-indulgence, excessiveness, immoderacy, intemperance, intemperateness, overindulgence, demerit, failing, fault, feebleness, foible, frailty, shortcoming, vice, weakness, indiscipline, unconstraint, unreserve, unreservedness, unrestraint, coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, force, pressure

Word Forms of Will

Inflections: would, willed, willing, wills

Origin & Etymology of Will

Middle English (1st & 3rd singular present indicative), from Old English wille (infinitive wyllan); akin to Old High German wili (3rd singular present indicative) wills, Latin velle to wish, will

First known use: before 12th centuryt

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Will

Words & Phrases Containing Will

will-less, will-o'-the-wisp, will to power

Frequently Asked Questions about Will

What does "Will" mean?

"Will" means —used to express futurity. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: —used to express futurity. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Will"?

Other words for "Will" include bequeath, leave, choose, like, please, want, wish and continence. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Will" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Will"?

There are 97 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Will". Common alternatives include bequeath, leave, choose, like, please, want, wish, continence, restraint and self-command.

How do you use "Will" in a sentence?

Examples of "Will" in a sentence: "willed their house to their adult children"; "do as you will—I wash my hands of the whole affair"; "she kept her face still by sheer force of will".

Is "Will" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Will" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Will" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Will" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Will"?

"Will" is pronounced /wəl/ as a verb and /ˈwil/ as a noun.

What is the origin of the word "Will"?

"Will" comes from Middle English (1st & 3rd singular present indicative), from Old English wille (infinitive wyllan); akin to Old High German wili (3rd singular present indicative) wills, Latin velle to wish, will. First known use: before 12th centuryt.