Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

willy-nilly

adverb
 
 
/ˌwɪl.iˈnɪl.i/ informal

Definition

If something happens willy-nilly, it happens even if the people who are involved do not want it to happen: Both sides were drawn, willy-nilly, into the conflict.Unwilling and reluctantReady and willingLacking interest and enthusiasm without any order: She threw her clothes willy-nilly into a drawer.Dirty and untidy
(Definition of willy-nilly adverb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
Focus on the pronunciation of willy-nilly