Meaning of willy-nilly in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˌwɪliˈnɪli/

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    UK accent Play button

  1. Adverb

    willy-nilly

    Etymology

    early 17th century: later spelling of will I, nill I ‘I am willing, I am unwilling’

    Definitions

    1. in a random manner

    Examples

    • « the houses were randomly scattered »
    • « bullets were fired into the crowd at random »
  2. 2. without having a choice