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involuntary
[ in-vol-uhn-ter-ee ]
/ ɪnˈvɒl ənˌtɛr i /
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adjective
not voluntary; independent of one's will; not by one's own choice: an involuntary listener; involuntary servitude.
unintentional; unconscious: an involuntary gesture.
Physiology. acting independently of or done or occurring without volition: involuntary muscles.
OTHER WORDS FOR involuntary
2 instinctive.
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Origin of involuntary
synonym study for involuntary
1, 3. See automatic.
OTHER WORDS FROM involuntary
in·vol·un·tar·i·ly [in-vol-uhn-ter-uh-lee, -vol-uhn-tair-], /ɪnˈvɒl ənˌtɛr ə li, -ˌvɒl ənˈtɛər-/, adverbin·vol·un·tar·i·ness, nounWords nearby involuntary
invoked, involucel, involucrate, involucre, involucrum, involuntary, involute, involuted, involute gear, involute teeth, involution
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use involuntary in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for involuntary
involuntary
/ (ɪnˈvɒləntərɪ, -trɪ) /
adjective
carried out without one's conscious wishes; not voluntary; unintentional
physiol (esp of a movement or muscle) performed or acting without conscious control
Derived forms of involuntary
involuntarily, adverbinvoluntariness, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for involuntary
involuntary
[ ĭn-vŏl′ən-tĕr′ē ]
Not under conscious control. Most of the biological processes in animals that are vital to life, such as contraction of the heart, blood flow, breathing, and digestion, are involuntary and controlled by the autonomic nervous system.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.