nolens volens

adverb

Willing or unwilling; willy-nilly.

OriginLatin nōlēns →
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Meanings

adverb
  1. Willing or unwilling; willy-nilly.

    “Well, nolens volens, you must hold your tongue,” said Pleydell.

    1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], chapter L, in Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC
    3 more examples

    Now I would not, quoth my uncle Toby, get a child, nolens, volens, that is, whether I would or no, to pleaſe the greateſt prince upon earth——

    1765, [Laurence Sterne], chapter XXXIII, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume VIII, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […], →OCLC, page 183

    Boats with soldiers were sent under the direction of the padres to capture Indians and bring them to the missions, where they were made Christians nolens volens.

    1843, Edward Belcher, Narrative of a Voyage Round the World

    He won't go very “dangerous lengths,” but thinks the truth lies half-way between Agassiz and the ‘Origin.’ As he goes thus far he will, nolens volens, have to go further.

    1887, Charles Darwin, “To T. H. Huxley. Down, August 8 [1860]”, in Francis Darwin, editor, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, volume II, New York: D. Appleton & Company, page 123

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
willy-nilly

Origin

  1. Latinnōlēns“unwilling”
  2. Englishnolens volens

From Latin nōlēns (“unwilling”), from nōlō (“to be unwilling”) and volēns (“willing”), from volō (“to be willing, to want”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

nolens volens. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nolens%20volens

MLA

“nolens volens.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nolens%20volens. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nolens volens,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nolens%20volens.

Source: nolens volens on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.