spontaneous

[ spon-tey-nee-uhs ]

See synonyms for: spontaneous spontaneously on Thesaurus.com

adjective

coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause.
(of a person) given to acting upon sudden impulses.

(of natural phenomena) arising from internal forces or causes; independent of external agencies; self-acting.
growing naturally or without cultivation, as plants and fruits; indigenous.
produced by natural process.

Origin of spontaneous

First recorded in 1650–60; from Late Latin spontāneus, equivalent to Latin spont(e) “willingly” + -āneus (-ān(us) -an + -eus -eous)

synonym study For spontaneous

1. See automatic, voluntary.

Other words for spontaneous

1	unpremeditated, free

See synonyms for spontaneous on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for spontaneous

1	premeditated

See antonyms for spontaneous on Thesaurus.com

Other words from spontaneous

spon·ta·ne·ous·ly, adverb
spon·ta·ne·ous·ness, noun
non·spon·ta·ne·ous, adjective
non·spon·ta·ne·ous·ness, noun
sem·i·spon·ta·ne·ous, adjective
sem·i·spon·ta·ne·ous·ness, noun
sub·spon·ta·ne·ous, adjective
sub·spon·ta·ne·ous·ness, noun
un·spon·ta·ne·ous, adjective
un·spon·ta·ne·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spontaneous in a sentence

Something of this spontaneousness and finality belonged to the character of Bret Harte.
The Life of Bret Harte | Henry Childs Merwin
She was full of these graceful flatteries, that proved the more effective because of their seeming spontaneousness.
Wives and Widows; or The Broken Life | Ann S. Stephens
Another argument for the spontaneousness of growth is universal experience.
Natural Law in the Spiritual World | Henry Drummond
It would take away all spontaneousness from my conversation.
Dodo Wonders | E. F. Benson
There is a spontaneousness about them we search for in vain in his work in oil and pastel.
Millet | Percy Moore Turner

British Dictionary definitions for spontaneous

spontaneous

/ (spɒnˈteɪnɪəs) /

adjective

occurring, produced, or performed through natural processes without external influence: spontaneous movement
arising from an unforced personal impulse; voluntary; unpremeditated: a spontaneous comment

(of plants) growing naturally; indigenous

Origin of spontaneous

C17: from Late Latin spontāneus, from Latin sponte voluntarily

Derived forms of spontaneous

spontaneously, adverb
spontaneousness, noun

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

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