voluntary

[ vol-uhn-ter-ee ]

/ ˈvɒl ənˌtɛr i /

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See synonyms for: voluntary / voluntarily on Thesaurus.com

adjective

done, made, brought about, undertaken, etc., of one's own accord or by free choice: a voluntary contribution.

of, relating to, or acting in accord with the will: voluntary cooperation.

of, relating to, or depending on voluntary action: voluntary hospitals.

Law.

acting or done without compulsion or obligation.
done by intention, and not by accident: voluntary manslaughter.
made without valuable consideration: a voluntary settlement.

Physiology. subject to or controlled by the will.

having the power of willing or choosing: a voluntary agent.

proceeding from a natural impulse; spontaneous: voluntary laughter.

noun, plural vol·un·tar·ies.

something done voluntarily.

a piece of music, frequently spontaneous and improvised, performed as a prelude to a larger work, especially a piece of organ music performed before, during, or after an office of the church.

OTHER WORDS FOR voluntary

1 considered, purposeful, planned, intended, designed.

7 free, unforced, natural, unconstrained.

See synonyms for voluntary on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of voluntary

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin voluntārius, equivalent to volunt(ās) “willingness, inclination” (ultimately representing a formation with -tās -ty² on the present participle of velle “to want, wish”; see will¹, -ent) + -ārius -ary

synonym study for voluntary

1. See deliberate. 7. Voluntary, spontaneous agree in applying to something that is a natural outgrowth or natural expression arising from circumstances and conditions. Voluntary implies having given previous consideration, or having exercised judgment: a voluntary confession; a voluntary movement; The offer was a voluntary one. Something that is spontaneous arises as if by itself from the nature of the circumstances or condition: spontaneous applause, combustion, expression of admiration.

OTHER WORDS FROM voluntary

vol·un·tar·i·ly

[vol-uhn-tair-uh-lee, vol-uhn-ter-], /ˌvɒl ənˈtɛər ə li, ˈvɒl ənˌtɛr-/, adverbvol·un·tar·i·ness, nounnon·vol·un·tar·y, adjectivesem·i·vol·un·tar·y, adjective

un·vol·un·tar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use voluntary in a sentence

In turn, these voluntary agencies, most of which are religiously affiliated, often rely on local congregations to sponsor and initially support refugees.
The history of Hmong Americans explains why they might decide the election|Melissa Borja|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Facebook doesn’t publish this data, so voluntary sharing of data is the only window into this process.
The weirdly specific filters campaigns are using to micro-target you|Tate Ryan-Mosley|October 23, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Furthermore, FLoC has yet to pass the minimum bar for incubation within the voluntary consensus web standards organization W3C, said James Rosewell, CEO at tech company 51Degrees.
‘Very pleasantly surprised’ Google shares results of Privacy Sandbox experiments|Lara O'Reilly|October 22, 2020|Digiday
The return to campus is voluntary for teachers during phase one.
Morning Report: Our Election Guide Is Here|Voice of San Diego|October 19, 2020|Voice of San Diego

Our default way of thinking is System 1, which “operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control,” he wrote in his classic bestseller, Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Facts aren’t the most powerful tool in the event of a contested election|Geoffrey Colvin|October 13, 2020|Fortune
A great deal often depends, and in such a case as this, everything depends, on the Voluntariness of the ornament.
The Stones of Venice, Volume I (of 3)|John Ruskin
To have the quality of voluntariness an act must be consciously performed with a particular end in view.
Determinism or Free-Will?|Chapman Cohen
Whether the form of voluntariness continues or force is resorted to slavery still is slavery.
Landmarks of Scientific Socialism|Friedrich Engels
If the slave were willing to be a slave, his voluntariness, so far from lessening the guilt of the "owner," aggravates it.
The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Omnibus|American Anti-Slavery Society
We argue the voluntariness of servants from their peculiar opportunities and facilities for escape.
The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Omnibus|American Anti-Slavery Society

British Dictionary definitions for voluntary

voluntary

/ (ˈvɒləntərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

performed, undertaken, or brought about by free choice, willingly, or without being askeda voluntary donation

(of persons) serving or acting in a specified function of one's own accord and without compulsion or promise of remunerationa voluntary social worker

done by, composed of, or functioning with the aid of volunteersa voluntary association

endowed with, exercising, or having the faculty of willinga voluntary agent

arising from natural impulse; spontaneousvoluntary laughter

law

acting or done without legal obligation, compulsion, or persuasion
made without payment or recompense in any forma voluntary conveyance

(of the muscles of the limbs, neck, etc) having their action controlled by the will

maintained or provided by the voluntary actions or contributions of individuals and not by the statevoluntary schools; the voluntary system

noun plural -taries

music a composition or improvisation, usually for organ, played at the beginning or end of a church service

work done without compulsion

obsolete a volunteer, esp in an army

Derived forms of voluntary

voluntarily, adverbvoluntariness, noun

Word Origin for voluntary

C14: from Latin voluntārius, from voluntās will, from velle to wish

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

Medical definitions for voluntary

voluntary

[ vŏl′ən-tĕr′ē ]

adj.

Arising from or acting on one's own free will.

Normally controlled by or subject to individual volition, as of respiration.

Capable of making choices; having the faculty of will.

voluntary

OTHER WORDS FOR voluntary

Origin of voluntary

synonym study for voluntary

OTHER WORDS FROM voluntary

Words related to voluntary

How to use voluntary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for voluntary

Derived forms of voluntary

Word Origin for voluntary

Medical definitions for voluntary