Word info Synonyms Antonyms

voluntary

Speech parts

1. voluntary - Noun

2. voluntary - Adjective

3. voluntary - Verb

4. voluntary - Adverb

Meaning

Proceeding from the will; produced in or by an act of choice.

Unconstrained by the interference of another; unimpelled by the influence of another; not prompted or persuaded by another; done of his or its own accord; spontaneous; acting of one's self, or of itself; free.

Done by design or intention; intentional; purposed; intended; not accidental; as, if a man kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter.

Of or pertaining to the will; subject to, or regulated by, the will; as, the voluntary motions of an animal, such as the movements of the leg or arm (in distinction from involuntary motions, such as the movements of the heart); the voluntary muscle fibers, which are the agents in voluntary motion.

Endowed with the power of willing; as, man is a voluntary agent.

Free; without compulsion; according to the will, consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration; gratuitous; without valuable consideration.

Of or pertaining to voluntaryism; as, a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church.

One who engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer.

A piece played by a musician, often extemporarily, according to his fancy; specifically, an organ solo played before, during, or after divine service.

One who advocates voluntaryism.

Source: Webster's dictionary

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Examples

Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness. Seneca

That no government, so called, can reasonably be trusted for a moment, or reasonably be supposed to have honest purposes in view, any longer than it depends wholly upon voluntary support. Lysander Spooner

A multitude of causes unknown to former times are now acting with a combined force to blunt the discriminating powers of the mind, and unfitting it for all voluntary exertion to reduce it to a state of almost savage torpor. William Wordsworth

Voluntary is better than force. Swahili Proverb

The voluntary obedience of people depends on who is commanding them. Myanmar Proverb

A voluntary burthen is no burthen. Italian Proverb

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