willingly
willingly — adverb
1. with a positive attitude, doing something because you truly want to, not because
with a positive attitude, doing something because you truly want to, not because you are forced or expected to
Beatriz willingly helped her neighbour carry the heavy boxes upstairs.
adverb before main verb in past simple
Roya willingly gave up her seat on the train to an elderly passenger.
The students willingly stayed after class to help clean the classroom.
Nobody in the office willingly works on weekends unless it is urgent.
The donation was willingly offered by the Watanabe family after the earthquake.
- readily
emphasises speed and lack of hesitation; 'readily' suggests you do something immediately, while 'willingly' focuses on your positive attitude
- gladly
more emotional than 'willingly'; 'gladly' stresses happiness about the action itself
- voluntarily
focuses on the absence of obligation; 'willingly' adds the idea that you were happy about it, not just that no one forced you
- reluctantly
doing something even though you do not want to — the opposite attitude behind the action
- unwillingly
direct antonym; doing something when you would rather not
- grudgingly
showing annoyance or resentment while doing something
用法筆記
Willingly usually appears just before the main verb ('She willingly agreed'), but can also come at the end for emphasis ('She agreed willingly'). Unlike voluntarily, which only states the absence of force, willingly suggests the person felt happy about the action.