Meaning & use
willingness to listen
Last updated
Meaning
phraseuncountable
The quality of being ready and open to hearing what someone else has to say.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase; often followed by 'from someone' or 'on an issue'.
Patterns
- willingness to listen to someone
- show willingness to listen
- a willingness to listen
The manager's willingness to listen to complaints improved morale.
A good teacher shows a willingness to listen to students' ideas.
Their willingness to listen made the negotiation possible.
Common combinations
- show a willingness to listen
- The politician showed a willingness to listen to voters' concerns.
- lack of willingness to listen
- His lack of willingness to listen caused problems in the team.
- a willingness to listen to reason
- She finally demonstrated a willingness to listen to reason.
Synonyms and how they differ
- open-mindedness
- This is a broader quality of being receptive to new ideas; 'willingness to listen' specifically focuses on hearing others out.
- receptiveness
- This is a more formal term for being ready to accept ideas; it can apply to suggestions as well as spoken words.
Opposites
Commonly confused: willingness to listen or willingness to speak?
willingness to listen vs willingness to speak
This means being ready to talk, not to listen. They are opposite in focus.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option C fits because listening helps resolve conflicts. Option An is wrong because listening makes people feel heard, not ignored. Option B contradicts listening. Option D describes talking, not listening.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “willingness to listen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.