involuntary
Americanadjective
-
not voluntary; independent of one's will; not by one's own choice.
an involuntary listener; involuntary servitude.
-
unintentional; unconscious.
an involuntary gesture.
- Synonyms:
- instinctive
- Antonyms:
- intentional
-
Physiology. acting independently of or done or occurring without volition.
involuntary muscles.
- Synonyms:
- uncontrolled, reflex
adjective
-
carried out without one's conscious wishes; not voluntary; unintentional
-
physiol (esp of a movement or muscle) performed or acting without conscious control
Related Words
See automatic.
Other Word Forms
- involuntarily adverb
- involuntariness noun
Etymology
Origin of involuntary
From the Late Latin word involuntārius, dating back to 1525–35. See in- 3, voluntary
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When companies are forced to hand over to regulators, or opposing counsel, internal records of what their algorithms have been up to, the result is a kind of involuntary transparency.
The statute of limitations for involuntary manslaughter, an easier case to prove than the voluntary manslaughter charges that Middleton brought, expired in late 2021.
From Los Angeles Times
“It made no sense to me. Then I saw that the reason the prepayments were so high is that they were involuntary.”
From Literature
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison in the Caribbean country.
From Barron's
However, just two years later in 2023, it was put into involuntary liquidation.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
