Willful
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) glossary · Course Foundations
Definition
Done knowingly and on purpose.
Willful in plain English
Something is "willful" when you do it knowingly and on purpose — not by accident and not because you were confused. Imagine the difference between accidentally knocking over a glass versus deliberately picking it up and throwing it: the second one is willful. This word matters a lot in the citizenship process because knowingly lying on your application is treated far more seriously than an honest mistake. So the safest path is always to be truthful and correct any error right away.
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