spontaneous

[ spon-tey-nee-uhs ]
/ spɒnˈteɪ ni əs /

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.

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Origin of spontaneous

1650–60; < Late Latin spontāneus, equivalent to Latin spont(e) willingly + -āneus (-ān(us) -an + -eus -eous)

SYNONYMS FOR spontaneous

1 unpremeditated, free.

ANTONYMS FOR spontaneous

1 premeditated.

synonym study for spontaneous

1. See automatic, voluntary.

OTHER WORDS FROM spontaneous

Words nearby spontaneous

sponsion, sponson, sponsor, sponsored, spontaneity, spontaneous, spontaneous abortion, spontaneous amputation, spontaneous combustion, spontaneous gangrene of newborn, spontaneous generation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for subspontaneous

  • Many floras of the south of Europe speak of it as a subspontaneous or naturalized species.

    Origin of Cultivated Plants|Alphonse De Candolle

  • Authors who have seen the species in the East do not hesitate to say that it is subspontaneous.

    Origin of Cultivated Plants|Alphonse De Candolle

  • Usually they indicate the carob tree, as cultivated and subspontaneous, or nearly wild.

    Origin of Cultivated Plants|Alphonse De Candolle

British Dictionary definitions for subspontaneous (1 of 2)

subspontaneous
/ (ˌsʌbspɒnˈteɪnɪəs) /

adjective

(of a plant species, such as rhododendron) spreading naturally after having originally been introduced

British Dictionary definitions for subspontaneous (2 of 2)

spontaneous
/ (spɒnˈteɪnɪəs) /

adjective

occurring, produced, or performed through natural processes without external influencespontaneous movement
arising from an unforced personal impulse; voluntary; unpremeditateda spontaneous comment
(of plants) growing naturally; indigenous

Derived forms of spontaneous

spontaneously, adverbspontaneousness, noun

Word Origin for spontaneous

C17: from Late Latin spontāneus, from Latin sponte voluntarily
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