willful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Attorney David Lira, 65, Girardi’s son-in-law, pleaded guilty last year to a criminal contempt charge for his willful failure to abide by the settlement payment order.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

According to the suit, the disclosure of tax-return forms “was either willful or a result of gross negligence.”

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

To use an example mentioned above, the court thinks that people who commit robbery have sufficiently high culpability “under every factual scenario”—a conclusion that can only be understood as the willful ignorance of reality.

From Slate • Dec. 29, 2025

James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling’s “broken windows” theory posited that crime is more than a willful act—it’s the product of a cultural atmosphere.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

Villagers turned from the spectacle of the dung heap to see little Jeanne, carried like a willful calf in the arms of the weasel-faced knight.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz