volition
Americannoun
-
the act of willing, choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing.
She left of her own volition.
- Synonyms:
- choice, discretion
-
a choice or decision made by the will.
-
the power of willing; will.
noun
-
the act of exercising the will
of one's own volition
-
the faculty or capability of conscious choice, decision, and intention; the will
-
the resulting choice or resolution
-
philosophy an act of will as distinguished from the physical movement it intends to bring about
Related Words
See will 2.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of volition
First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin volitiōn- (stem of volitiō ), equivalent to vol- (variant stem of velle “to want, wish”; see will 1) + -itiōn- -ition
Explanation
Doing something willingly or voluntarily is doing it of your own volition. You might not always enjoy the books your teacher assigns, but you love the historical novels you pick up of your own volition. Volition comes from Latin and French roots meaning "wish" or "will." Legal speech and writing often include the word volition, as a way to affirm that a person involved in a crime acted "on their own volition," or consented to be part of the crime. Maybe criminals don't wish to go to jail, but their acts often show their volition to break the law.
Vocabulary lists containing volition
To Kill a Mockingbird
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The Things They Carried
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
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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.
Her volition and intention don’t matter because an artist who is in on the joke makes hating less fun for the thoughtless critic.
From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026
They are a family, but they are there of their own volition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
He went back to pick them up, sliding them onto her feet so it looked as though she had been fully dressed when she got into the car, of her own volition.
From Slate • Nov. 6, 2025
Nielsen and Goss left of their own volition.
From BBC • Nov. 19, 2024
The obsessive cleanliness of the room was the only positive sign of volition from Estha.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
