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willpower

or will pow·er

[ wil-poh-er ]

/ ˈwɪlˌpoʊ ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR willpower ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

control of one's impulses and actions; self-control.

Origin of willpower

First recorded in 1870–75; will² + power

Words nearby willpower

willowherb, willowick, willowwacks, willowware, willowy, willpower, wills, willstätter, willy, willy wagtail, willy-nilly

Example sentences from the Web for willpower

Artists like Marina Abramović have endorsed her performance, applauding her “willpower to stick to something no matter what.”

Is Columbia Failing Campus Rape Victims? |Lizzie Crocker |November 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Experts suggest that we need to think of self-control as a “muscle”; something we can train in order to increase our willpower.

Willpower: Our Greatest Strength? | |September 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
According to cold, hard science, willpower is an unlimited resource.

Willpower: Our Greatest Strength? | |September 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Stress is the enemy of willpower, so say the latest findings of neuroscientists, psychologists, and life coaches in the field.

Willpower: Our Greatest Strength? | |September 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Like any other muscle, the more you exercise your willpower, the stronger it becomes.

If You're Fat You've Only Got Yourself to Blame |Emma Woolf |April 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
His brother Laurence—wasted—all through women—atrophy of willpower!

Five Tales |John Galsworthy
But he, like his indomitable master, possessed a great fund of energy and willpower.

The Woman in the Alcove |Anna Katharine Green
The willpower is firm, and is combined with enterprise and perseverance.

The Scrap Book, Volume 1, No. 6 |Various
And the next day he had to use all his willpower to avoid seeing the scarred thumb.

The Prussian Officer |D. H. Lawrence
Gervaise, lulled by the excessive heat, felt so limp that she couldn't even summon the willpower to change the subject.

L'Assommoir |Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for willpower

willpower

/ (ˈwɪlˌpaʊə) /

noun

the ability to control oneself and determine one's actions

firmness of will