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  

/ ˈvɒləntərɪ, -trɪ /

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

Critics of the proposals say engaging with parents on a voluntary basis is generally more effective.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

The question is whether voluntary agreements can work without government involvement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

OpenAI executive Chris Lehane said last week that the company was also working with other AI labs, external "to advance frontier AI standards, building a voluntary effort now, with or without government support."

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

The US government put in place a voluntary security review process last month for advanced AI models before their release, but the parameters of that program remain unclear.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

By including the Madison draft of 1792, he advertised his reluctance to serve even his second term, thereby enhancing the credibility of his voluntary rejection of a third.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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

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

It rang the same voluntaries to the Saxons, Danes, and Normans, through the long ages, and, perhaps, tended to soften their antagonisms, and hasten their blending into one great and mighty people. 

From A Walk from London to John O'Groat's by Elihu Burritt

Her organ voluntaries at the annual conventions evince a master's skill and delight all who listen.

From Two Decades A History of the First Twenty Years' Work of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of the State of New York by Frances W. Graham

Then came Zundel voluntaries and hard pedal practice.

From Visionaries by James Huneker

Related Words

• spontaneous