Willing

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈwɪlɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Prepared to take action or agree to do something when asked ; showing eagerness or voluntary consent to participate
2. Inclined or disposed to perform a task or favor ; expressing readiness or enthusiasm to engage in an activity
3. Having the mental or emotional readiness to act or accept something ; willingly offering consent or cooperation in a situation

Etymology: The adjective "willing" is older than many readers would guess, and it is simply the present participle of an Old English verb. Its ancestor "willende" was formed from "willan," the verb meaning "to wish, desire, or be inclined," which is the same root that gives English "will" in its sense of intention and choice. So the adjective literally began as something like "wishing" or "being inclined," and the sense of readiness to act grew naturally out of that wanting. The word is therefore a transparent pairing of "will" and the "-ing" ending, and at first glance that is all there is to it. What is worth noticing is how closely the modern adjective still follows its verbal origin: to be willing is to have the inclination already in place, before any action is requested. The verb "willan" also gave rise to the Old English noun "willung," meaning a wishing or desire, which shows the same root branching into both nouns and adjectives early on.

Synonyms: eager, prepared, disposed, ready, enthusiastic

Antonyms: reluctant, unwilling, disinclined, averse, hesitant