voluntary

adj

/ˈvɒl.ən.tɹi/UK/ˈvɑ.lənˌt(ɛ)ɹi/US/ˈvɒl.ən.t(ɛ)ɹi/CA/ˈvɔl.ən.tɹi/

Etymology

From Middle English voluntarie, from Old French volontaire, from Latin voluntārius (“willing, of free will”), from voluntās (“will, choice, desire”), from volēns, present participle of volo (“to will”). Displaced native Old English selfwille (literally “self-willed”).

derived from voluntārius
derived from volontaire
inherited from voluntarie

Definitions

1
Done, given, or acting of one's own free will.
- September 10, 1828, Nathaniel William Taylor, Sermon delivered in the Chapel of Yale College That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy.
- She fell, to lust a voluntary prey.
2
Done by design or intention
Done by design or intention; intentional.
- If a man accidentally kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter.
3
Working or done without payment.
- Wikimedia is a voluntary service.
›+ 6 more definitionsshow fewer
1. 4
  Endowed with the power of willing.
  - […] God did not work as a necessary, but a voluntary agent, intending before-hand, and decreeing with himself, that which did outwardly proceed from him.
2. 5
  Of or relating to voluntarism.
  - a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church
3. 6
  Voluntarily.
  - And all that els was pretious and deare, / The sea unto him voluntary brings [...].
4. A short piece of music, often having improvisation, played on a solo instrument.
5. A volunteer.
6. A supporter of voluntarism
  A supporter of voluntarism; a voluntarist.

The neighborhood

synonymdiscretionary
synonymoptional
synonymvolitional
synonymwillful
synonymintentional
antonymantonym(s) of
antonymcompulsoryantonym(s) of
antonymobligatory
antonymaccidentalantonym(s) of “done by design or intention”
antonympaidantonym(s) of “done without payment”
antonymsalariedantonym(s) of “done without payment”
neighborvoluntarism
neighborvoluntarist

Derived

individual voluntary arrangement, voluntarily, voluntary agent, voluntary aided school, voluntary controlled school, voluntary jurisdiction, voluntary manslaughter, voluntary movement, voluntary muscle, voluntary waste, voluntary work, volun-told

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at voluntary. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

A definitional loop anchored at voluntary. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

9 hops · closes at voluntary

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA