voluntary

American  

[vol-uhn-ter-ee] / ˈvɒl ənˌtɛr i /

adjective

1. done, made, brought about, undertaken, etc., of one's own accord or by free choice.

   a voluntary contribution.

   Synonyms:

   designed, intended, planned, purposeful, considered

2. of, relating to, or acting in accord with the will.

   voluntary cooperation.

3. of, relating to, or depending on voluntary action.

   voluntary hospitals.

4. Law.

   1. acting or done without compulsion or obligation.

   2. done by intention, and not by accident.

      voluntary manslaughter.

   3. made without valuable consideration.

      a voluntary settlement.

5. Physiology. subject to or controlled by the will.

6. having the power of willing or choosing.

   a voluntary agent.

7. proceeding from a natural impulse; spontaneous.

   voluntary laughter.

   Synonyms:

   unconstrained, natural, unforced, free

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noun

• voluntaries
  plural

1. something done voluntarily.

2. 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.

voluntary British  

/ -trɪ, ˈvɒləntərɪ /

adjective

1. performed, undertaken, or brought about by free choice, willingly, or without being asked

   a voluntary donation

2. (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

3. done by, composed of, or functioning with the aid of volunteers

   a voluntary association

4. endowed with, exercising, or having the faculty of willing

   a voluntary agent

5. arising from natural impulse; spontaneous

   voluntary laughter

6. law

   1. acting or done without legal obligation, compulsion, or persuasion

   2. made without payment or recompense in any form

      a voluntary conveyance

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

8. maintained or provided by the voluntary actions or contributions of individuals and not by the state

   voluntary schools

   the voluntary system

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noun

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

2. work done without compulsion

3. obsolete a volunteer, esp in an army

Synonym Usage

See deliberate. 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 Word Forms

Derived Forms

• voluntariness
  noun
• nonvoluntary
  adjective
• semivoluntary
  adjective
• unvoluntary
  adjective
• voluntarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• voluntaries
  plural

Etymology

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 -ty ² on the present participle of velle “to want, wish”; see will ¹, -ent) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

Voluntary is an adjective that describes something you do because you want to, without being influenced or forced into it. Usually a voluntary act is something you consciously choose to do, like going into work even on a snow day. Voluntary comes from the Latin word voluntarius, which means "of one's free will." Voluntary can also describe a service given without any payment expected in return. For example, if your work for the community theater is voluntary, that means that you don't get paid for your time. If you're offering your voluntary help in this way, you might also be called a volunteer, someone who offers free help to assist others.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

voluntary voluntaries

Several deportees have already returned to their home countries after requesting voluntary repatriation to reunite with their families, the government previously said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Workers at Ferguson Marine have been invited to apply for voluntary redundancy as construction draws to a close on the second of two long-delayed CalMac ferries.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

In response to cases of law enforcement officers across the country improperly accessing Flock for personal reasons, the company rolled out a voluntary audit tool in April.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

Critics of the White House’s approach and Hassabis’s idea say that voluntary efforts and self-regulatory concepts aren’t adequate to address the security and economic threats posed by AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

In my particular case, I could not hide behind the curtain of voluntary goodness.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Usually these voluntaries were real milk-and-water affairs," he recalled, "but one day the organist did something really wild, which was thrilling.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 5, 2012

The manner in which conversions were effected by the Spanish priests may seem a little strange to the "voluntaries" of our day.

From Mexico and its Religion With Incidents of Travel in That Country During Parts of the Years 1851-52-53-54, and Historical Notices of Events Connected With Places Visited by Robert A. Wilson

Her works for that134 instrument include two grand voluntaries, a half-dozen excellent pedal fugues, eight slow movements, and many other pieces.

From Woman's Work in Music by Arthur Elson

All Mr. Muller's love-making did not move her now as one note of Bluhm's voluntaries on the organ had done.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 11, No. 25, April, 1873 by Various

Contemporary organists, in passing, are well represented by Kate Westrop, who has published four short voluntaries for organ.

From Woman's Work in Music by Arthur Elson

Related Words

• spontaneous