Willingly Vs wilfully

fatimah0786willingly

gladly. You're happy to do it. I helped the old woman carry her heavy packages without complaining. I did it willingly.

fatimah0786willfully

It often means "purposely disobeying; purposely being contrary; purposely doing something wrong". 'willfully destroying prop

Thanks for answering.Is the word 'willful' used disapprovingly? Can we also say, "She thinks that she owns the office.She comes and goes of her own will"?

fatimah0786Is the word 'willful' used disapprovingly?

Yes. It seems to me that it is.

fatimah0786Can we also say, "She thinks that she owns the office. She comes and goes of her own will"?

No. Those two sentences don't go together well. For that idea, you need, "She comes and goes whenever she wants".

CJ

Thanks for answering. I have heard people using the phrase of someone's will. Is such a construction wrong?

fatimah0786someone's will

I'd have to see it in a sentence, but it seems OK to me.

It is his will that we be quiet = He wants us to be quiet.

Such statements are very formal and old-fashioned, though, so maybe you mean something else.

CJ

What I meant was actually this phrase:

at will:

At whatever time or in whatever way one pleases: he seemed to think he could walk in and out of her life at will
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/will#will-2

I confused one with the ot

fatimah0786walk in and out of her life at will

OK. That's the one that means "whenever he wanted".

"of his own will" means nobody was forcing him (to do something). Often also, "of his own free will" with the same meaning.

CJ