velleity

[ vuh-lee-i-tee ]
See synonyms for velleity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural vel·le·i·ties.
  1. volition in its weakest form.

  2. a mere wish, unaccompanied by an effort to obtain it.

Origin of velleity

1
First recorded in 1630–40; from Medieval Latin velleitās, equivalent to Latin velle “to be willing, want” + -itās -ity

Words Nearby velleity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use velleity in a sentence

  • How would it be possible to resist the will of God, supposing of course that it was his real will, not a mere velleity?

    The Essence of Christianity | Ludwig Feuerbach
  • But the desire by way of simple velleity may not be put into a proper prayer, when there is no hope.

British Dictionary definitions for velleity

velleity

/ (vɛˈliːɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties rare
  1. the weakest level of desire or volition

  2. a mere wish

Origin of velleity

1
C17: from New Latin velleitās, from Latin velle to wish

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012