unruly implies lack of discipline or incapacity for discipline and often connotes waywardness or turbulence of behavior.
unruly children
ungovernable implies either an escape from control or guidance or a state of being unsubdued and incapable of controlling oneself or being controlled by others.
ungovernable rage
intractable suggests stubborn resistance to guidance or control.
intractable opponents of the hazardous-waste dump
refractory stresses resistance to attempts to manage or to mold.
special schools for refractory children
recalcitrant suggests determined resistance to or defiance of authority.
acts of sabotage by a recalcitrant populace
willful implies an obstinate determination to have one's own way.
a willful disregard for the rights of others
headstrong suggests self-will impatient of restraint, advice, or suggestion.
a headstrong young cavalry officer
Example Sentences
a stubborn and willful child He has shown a willful disregard for other people's feelings.
Recent Examples on the WebHer criminal action was willful, deliberate, intentional and purposeful. Bayliss Wagner, USA TODAY, 28 Aug. 2022 On Monday, Funderburg pleaded no contest to willful neglect of duty. Emma Stein, Detroit Free Press, 15 Aug. 2022 Oliver noted the obvious parallels with U.S. officials’ willful — and in some cases gleeful — neglect of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2022 Violators are given an opportunity to correct the practice to avoid a penalty of $25,000 per violation and up to $250,000 for a violation determined to be knowing and willful. Diane Bellcolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 July 2022 Martin was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2019 after pleading guilty to willful retention of national defense information. Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2022 Violation of this statute requires a willful intent to take or hide or destroy the documents. Amber Phillips, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Aug. 2022 Idiocy should not be confused with stupidity, the willful refusal of information that might disrupt one’s rigid convictions.Wired, 28 July 2022 Darwin, 32, was booked at the Metropolitan Jail Division for willful cruelty to a child. Olivia Jakiel, PEOPLE.com, 26 July 2022 See More