voluntary
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.
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.
Origin of voluntary
1synonym study For voluntary
Other words for voluntary
Other words from voluntary
- vol·un·tar·i·ly [vol-uhn-tair-uh-lee, vol-uhn-ter-], /ˌvɒl ənˈtɛər ə li, ˈvɒl ənˌtɛr-/, adverb
- vol·un·tar·i·ness, noun
- non·vol·un·tar·y, adjective
- sem·i·vol·un·tar·y, adjective
- un·vol·un·tar·y, adjective
Words Nearby voluntary
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use voluntary in a sentence
With the country in the midst of a pandemic, policy makers and public health experts have proposed voluntary mail-in voting as one way for Americans to safely vote in November.
Mandatory mail-in voting hurts neither Democratic nor Republican candidates | Sujata Gupta | August 26, 2020 | Science NewsAnother 12,500 employees have retired and 11,000 are taking a voluntary leave of absence for the month of October—meaning that American expects to cut a total of 40,000 employees from a workforce that numbered 140,000 at the start of the pandemic.
American Airlines announces plan to cut 19,000 jobs—unless Congress extends pandemic aid | Maria Aspan | August 25, 2020 | Fortune“They’re looking under the couch cushions for every megawatt hour in the West but aren’t willing to pay for someone’s voluntary action,” he says.
Here’s how to keep California’s grid from buckling under the heat | James Temple | August 18, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThis bill would require anyone who operates a contact tracing app to collaborate with public health officials, make app use voluntary and prevent commercial use of data collected by the apps.
Readers ask about antibody tests, chimeras and public health and privacy | Science News Staff | July 26, 2020 | Science NewsHumans For Humanity is a non profit, voluntary organisation run by a 25 year old social worker, Anurag Chauhan who is working on a project called WASH – Women Sanitation Hygiene from 2015.
Menstruation Comes With Innumerable Taboos In India | LGBTQ-Editor | May 29, 2020 | No Straight News
Our world is in so many ways more based on voluntary exchange than ever before.
“I see the celebs capitalizing on all these leaks, whether voluntary or not,” wrote Reddit user attacktei.
‘The Fappening’ Continues: Nudes of Kim Kardashian, Mary-Kate Olsen, and More Celebs Leak Online | Marlow Stern | September 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Non-GMO Project, on the other hand, provides a voluntary way for manufacturers to declare themselves GMO free.
Certification is voluntary only insofar as work as a physician is voluntary.
UNRWA is funded by voluntary contributions, but Arab and predominantly Islamic nations are rarely among the top donors.
This system had been in full operation in both districts prior to the general application of the voluntary system.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur PhillipsIt therefore took under favorable consideration the question of a voluntary clearing system.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur PhillipsThis is secured only by right objects of thought; it is impossible to reach it by voluntary mechanics.
Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge SouthwickOur voluntary service regulars are the last descendants of those rulers of the ancient world, the Roman Legionaries.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonA covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham
British Dictionary definitions for voluntary
/ (ˈvɒləntərɪ, -trɪ) /
performed, undertaken, or brought about by free choice, willingly, or without being asked: a voluntary donation
(of persons) serving or acting in a specified function of one's own accord and without compulsion or promise of remuneration: a voluntary social worker
done by, composed of, or functioning with the aid of volunteers: a voluntary association
endowed with, exercising, or having the faculty of willing: a voluntary agent
arising from natural impulse; spontaneous: voluntary laughter
law
acting or done without legal obligation, compulsion, or persuasion
made without payment or recompense in any form: a 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 state: voluntary schools; the voluntary system
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
Origin of voluntary
1Derived forms of voluntary
- voluntarily, adverb
- voluntariness, 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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