Wish vs. Will — What's the Difference?

A conditional desire, often unrealistic.

A legal document specifying the distribution of a person's estate after their death.

To hope for an event in the past to have had a different outcome.

Shows determination or resolve.

An expression of regret or longing.

Indicates habit or usual behavior.

To feel or express a strong desire for something that is not easily attainable.

The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action.

Used to convey good intentions or hopes in a formal way.

Expresses future tense when planning or deciding to do something.

A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices.

The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action

Feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that cannot or probably will not happen

Diligent purposefulness; determination

Want to do something

Self-control; self-discipline

Hope that (someone) has to deal with someone or something undesirable

A desire, purpose, or determination, especially of one in authority

A desire or hope for something to happen

Deliberate intention or wish

A feeling that one would like to have or do something or to see something happen; a desire, longing, or strong inclination for a specific thing.

Free discretion; inclination or pleasure

An expression of a desire, longing, or strong inclination

Bearing or attitude toward others; disposition

An expression of desire for the happiness or success of another

A legal declaration of how a person wishes their personal possessions to be disposed of after death.

Something desired or longed for

A legally executed document containing this declaration.

To long for; want.

To decide on or intend

To feel or express a desire for

To yearn for; desire

To order, entreat, or request

To decree, dictate, or order

To desire (something bad) to happen to someone

To induce or try to induce by sheer force of will

To have or feel a desire

To grant in a legal will; bequeath

To express a wish.

To order to direct in a legal will

A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen.

To exercise the will.

An expression of such a desire, often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power.

To make a choice; choose

The thing desired or longed for.

To wish; desire

(transitive) To desire; to want.

(auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall.

To hope (+ object clause with may or in present subjunctive).

(auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to.

To hope (for a particular outcome), even if that outcome is unlikely to occur or cannot occur.

(auxiliary) Expressing a present tense with some conditional or subjective weakening: "will turn out to", "must by inference".

(ditransitive) To bestow (a thought or gesture) towards (someone or something).

(auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action).

To request or desire to do an activity.

(auxiliary) To choose or agree to (do something); used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive), often in questions and negation.

(transitive) To recommend; to seek confidence or favour on behalf of.

To wish, desire (something).

To have a desire or yearning; to long; to hanker.

To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that).

To desire; to long for; to hanker after; to have a mind or disposition toward.

(archaic) Implying will go.

To frame or express desires concerning; to invoke in favor of, or against, any one; to attribute, or cal down, in desire; to invoke; to imprecate.

To instruct (that something be done) in one's will.

To recommend; to seek confidence or favor in behalf of.

(transitive) To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document).

Desire; eager desire; longing.

(transitive) To exert one's force of will (intention) in order to compel, or attempt to compel, something to happen or someone to do something.

Expression of desire; request; petition; hence, invocation or imprecation.

One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention.

A thing desired; an object of desire.

The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition.

A specific feeling of desire;

One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands.

An expression of some desire or inclination;

Firmity of purpose, fixity of intent

(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare;

(law) A formal declaration of one's intent concerning the disposal of one's property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes.

The particular preference that you have;

(archaic) That which is desired; one's wish.

Hope for; have a wish;

(archaic) Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.)

Prefer or wish to do something;

The power of choosing; the faculty or endowment of the soul by which it is capable of choosing; the faculty or power of the mind by which we decide to do or not to do; the power or faculty of preferring or selecting one of two or more objects.

Have in mind;

The choice which is made; a determination or preference which results from the act or exercise of the power of choice; a volition.

Make or express a wish;

The choice or determination of one who has authority; a decree; a command; discretionary pleasure.

Feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of

Strong wish or inclination; desire; purpose.

Order politely; express a wish for

That which is strongly wished or desired.

Invoke upon;

Arbitrary disposal; power to control, dispose, or determine.

The legal declaration of a person's mind as to the manner in which he would have his property or estate disposed of after his death; the written instrument, legally executed, by which a man makes disposition of his estate, to take effect after his death; testament; devise. See the Note under Testament, 1.

To wish; to desire; to incline to have.

As an auxiliary, will is used to denote futurity dependent on the verb. Thus, in first person, "I will" denotes willingness, consent, promise; and when "will" is emphasized, it denotes determination or fixed purpose; as, I will go if you wish; I will go at all hazards. In the second and third persons, the idea of distinct volition, wish, or purpose is evanescent, and simple certainty is appropriately expressed; as, "You will go," or "He will go," describes a future event as a fact only. To emphasize will denotes (according to the tone or context) certain futurity or fixed determination.

To be willing; to be inclined or disposed; to be pleased; to wish; to desire.

To form a distinct volition of; to determine by an act of choice; to ordain; to decree.

To enjoin or command, as that which is determined by an act of volition; to direct; to order.

To give or direct the disposal of by testament; to bequeath; to devise; as, to will one's estate to a child; also, to order or direct by testament; as, he willed that his nephew should have his watch.

To exercise an act of volition; to choose; to decide; to determine; to decree.

The capability of conscious choice and decision and intention;

A fixed and persistent intent or purpose;

A legal document declaring a person's wishes regarding the disposal of their property when they die

Decree or ordain;

Have in mind;

Determine by choice;

Leave or give by will after one's death;

Yes, "wish" is more speculative and is often used to discuss hypothetical situations.

Yes, "will" can be used to express immediate decisions and actions someone is determined to undertake immediately.

In formal contexts, "wish" is used to convey good wishes or formal requests, e.g., "We wish to inform you of the changes."

"Wish" conveys desires for unlikely or desired scenarios, whereas "will" indicates certainty and intention in actions.

Yes, "will" can also indicate determination, habitual actions, and legal declarations.

The use of "will" shows determination by expressing a firm decision or resolve to perform specific actions.

Yes, in a legal context, "will" refers to a document that expresses how someone wants their estate handled after death.

"Wish" is commonly used to express desires or hopes for things that are not immediately attainable.

No, "wish" and "will" cannot be used interchangeably due to their distinct meanings related to desires versus actions and decisions.

"Wish" can express regret when referring to past actions or situations, e.g., "I wish I had known."

"Will" shows stronger intention and determination compared to the often speculative and hopeful nature of "wish."

"Wish" is often used in subjunctive or conditional moods, implying uncertainty or desire, whereas "will" is used in the indicative mood for certainty and intent.

Using "will" can indicate a proactive and determined attitude.

Yes, expressions like "wishful thinking" and "make a wish" utilize the term "wish."

"Will" is significant as it reflects one’s commitment and determination towards achieving personal goals.