willy-nilly
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
An activity, situation, decision or event that happens in a disorganized manner; or it is done haphazardly, chaotically and randomly, without any sort of planning or direction.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
một hoạt động, tình huống, quyết định hoặc sự kiện diễn ra một cách vô tổ chức
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Imported from Wikipedia “English-language idioms” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29), pending review.
Common questions
What does “willy-nilly” mean?
An activity, situation, decision or event that happens in a disorganized manner; or it is done haphazardly, chaotically and randomly, without any sort of planning or direction.
Is “willy-nilly” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.