involuntary
Americanadjective
-
not voluntary; independent of one's will; not by one's own choice.
an involuntary listener; involuntary servitude.
-
unintentional; unconscious.
an involuntary gesture.
- Synonyms:
- instinctive
- Antonyms:
- intentional
-
Physiology. acting independently of or done or occurring without volition.
involuntary muscles.
- Synonyms:
- uncontrolled, reflex
adjective
-
carried out without one's conscious wishes; not voluntary; unintentional
-
physiol (esp of a movement or muscle) performed or acting without conscious control
Synonym Usage
See automatic.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of involuntary
From the Late Latin word involuntārius, dating back to 1525–35. See in- 3, voluntary
Explanation
Involuntary describes a reflex or action done without conscious control or will — like a blink, a sneeze, a yawn, or “the giggles.” If you volunteered to do it, it’s voluntary. If you didn’t volunteer, but you find yourself doing it anyway, it’s involuntary. This can go for the involuntary hiccups you wrestle with on your blind date, as well as the involuntary task you do at your manager’s insistence. Involuntary gets a lot of blame, but something that is involuntary is not necessarily bad: Breathing is involuntary, but you would probably do it anyway if given the choice.
Vocabulary lists containing involuntary
13th Amendment (1865)
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
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"The Treasure of Lemon Brown"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The largest positive contributions came from declines in involuntary part-time workers and fewer consumers saying jobs are hard to get.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Before being arrested, Greensmith had made online searches for a lawyer and looked at a page with information on "involuntary manslaughter", the court heard.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Operating expenses rose sharply in the quarter to $329.1 million from $164.1 million in the first quarter, including a $125.9 million loss on involuntary conversion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
And she reasoned, very simply, that the way her children were being held was involuntary servitude and that under this new law, they should be freed.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
An involuntary shiver racked me, and I dropped the stack of swatches back in the box.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
