voluntarily
Americanadverb
-
of one’s own accord or by free choice.
Students were mostly attending the sessions voluntarily, so they were reasonably well-behaved.
-
by volunteers, or in a way that depends on voluntary action.
The Political Science Club is a politically neutral and voluntarily operated nonprofit organization.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of voluntarily
Explanation
Use the adverb voluntarily to describe something you do willingly. For example, you might voluntarily stay home and babysit your little brother if the alternative is a trip to the grocery store. People do things voluntarily when they are completely willing to do them, not forced or enticed by anyone else. Kids tend to eat candy voluntarily, ride their bikes with their friends voluntarily, and watch their favorite shows on TV voluntarily. It's easy to see the connection with the verb to volunteer, and both words are rooted in the Latin root voluntarius, "of one's free will."
Vocabulary lists containing voluntarily
Smile
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ly
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Chapter 8: Greek Civilization
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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.
They are doing so voluntarily and do not have any symptoms.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
“Ms. Lively voluntarily dismissed the rest. In our view, they settled because they knew they were going to lose in court.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
OpenAI counters that Musk left voluntarily after failing to seize majority control and has since become the company's direct competitor through his own AI venture, xAI.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
They don’t want to share it voluntarily if they can make money from it.
From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026
He clearly had a good grasp on his own abilities if he was voluntarily diving into people’s minds—the question should have come as naturally as breathing.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
