voluntary

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Related to voluntary: voluntary movement, Voluntary migration

vol·un·tar·y

(vŏl′ən-tĕr′ē)

adj.

1. Done or undertaken of one's own free will: a voluntary decision to leave the job.

2. Acting or done willingly and without constraint or expectation of reward: a voluntary hostage; voluntary community work.

3. Normally controlled by or subject to individual volition: voluntary muscle contractions.

4. Capable of making choices; having the faculty of will: "This law of happiness ... resides in the exercise of the active capacities of a voluntary agent" (John Dewey).

5. Supported by contributions or charitable donations rather than by government appropriations: voluntary hospitals.

6. Law

a. Without legal obligation or consideration: a voluntary conveyance of property.

b. Done intentionally but without premeditation or deliberation, as when under the influence of an intense emotional reaction: voluntary manslaughter.

n. pl. vol·un·tar·ies

1. Music

a. A short piece of music, often improvised on a solo instrument, played as an introduction to a larger work.

b. A piece for solo organ, often improvised, played before, during, or after a religious service.

2. A volunteer.

[Middle English, from Latin voluntārius, from voluntās, choice, from velle, vol-, to wish; see wel- in Indo-European roots.]

vol′un·tar′i·ly (-târ′ə-lē) adv.

vol′un·tar′i·ness n.

Synonyms: voluntary, intentional, deliberate, willful, willing
These adjectives mean being or resulting from one's own free will. Voluntary implies the operation of unforced choice: "Ignorance, when it is voluntary, is criminal" (Samuel Johnson).
Intentional applies to something undertaken to further a plan or realize an aim: "I will abstain from all intentional wrongdoing and harm" (Hippocratic Oath).
Deliberate stresses premeditation and full awareness of the character and consequences of one's acts: taking deliberate and decisive action. Willful implies deliberate, headstrong persistence in a self-determined course of action: a willful waste of time. Willing suggests ready or cheerful acquiescence in the proposals or requirements of another: "The first requisite of a good citizen ... is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight" (Theodore Roosevelt).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

voluntary

(ˈvɒləntərɪ; -trɪ)

adj

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) law

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

b. made without payment or recompense in any form: a voluntary conveyance.

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

8. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) maintained or provided by the voluntary actions or contributions of individuals and not by the state: voluntary schools; the voluntary system.

n, pl -taries

9. (Music, other) music a composition or improvisation, usually for organ, played at the beginning or end of a church service

10. work done without compulsion

11. (Military) obsolete a volunteer, esp in an army

[C14: from Latin voluntārius, from voluntās will, from velle to wish]

volunˈtarily adv

ˈvoluntariness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

vol•un•tar•y

(ˈvɒl ənˌtɛr i)

adj., n., pl. -tar•ies. adj.

1. done, made, brought about, or undertaken of one's own accord or by free choice: a voluntary contribution.

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

3. of, pertaining to, or depending on voluntary action: voluntary hospitals.

4. done by or composed of volunteers.

5. Law.

a. acting or done without compulsion or obligation.

b. done by intention, and not by accident: voluntary manslaughter.

c. made without valuable consideration: a voluntary settlement.

6. subject to or controlled by the will.

7. having the power of willing or choosing: a voluntary agent.

8. proceeding from a natural impulse; spontaneous.

9. someone or something voluntary.

10. a piece of music performed as a prelude to a larger work, esp. an organ piece performed before, during, or after a church service.

[1350–1400; < Latin voluntārius, derivative of volunt(ās) willingness, inclination, derivative of velle to want, wish; see will¹, -ent)]

vol•un•tar•i•ly (ˌvɒl ənˈtɛər ə li, ˈvɒl ənˌtɛr-) adv.

vol′un•tar`i•ness, n.

syn: See deliberate.

vol·un·tar·y

(vŏl′ən-tĕr′ē)

Under conscious control. The muscles attached to the skeleton are voluntary muscles because they can be moved at will.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	voluntary - (military) a person who freely enlists for service military volunteer, volunteer armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker" military man, serviceman, man, military personnel - someone who serves in the armed forces; a member of a military force; "two men stood sentry duty"
	2.	voluntary - composition (often improvised) for a solo instrument (especially solo organ) and not a regular part of a religious service or musical performance solo - a musical composition for one voice or instrument (with or without accompaniment) postlude - a voluntary played at the end of a religious service
Adj.	1.	voluntary - of your own free will or design; done by choice; not forced or compelled; "man is a voluntary agent"; "participation was voluntary"; "voluntary manslaughter"; "voluntary generosity in times of disaster"; "voluntary social workers"; "a voluntary confession" conscious - knowing and perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts; "remained conscious during the operation"; "conscious of his faults"; "became conscious that he was being followed" intended - resulting from one's intentions; "your intended trip abroad"; "an intended insult" willing - disposed or inclined toward; "a willing participant"; "willing helpers" involuntary, nonvoluntary, unvoluntary - not subject to the control of the will; "involuntary manslaughter"; "involuntary servitude"; "an involuntary shudder"; "It (becoming a hero) was involuntary. They sank my boat"- John F.Kennedy
	2.	voluntary - controlled by individual volition; "voluntary motions"; "voluntary muscles" physiology - the branch of the biological sciences dealing with the functioning of organisms involuntary - controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without conscious control; "involuntary muscles"; "gave an involuntary start"

voluntary

adjective

1. intentional, intended, deliberate, planned, studied, purposed, calculated, wilful, done on purpose a voluntary act undertaken in full knowledge of the consequences
intentional involuntary, unintentional, instinctive, automatic

2. optional, discretionary, up to the individual, open, unforced, unconstrained, unenforced, at your discretion, discretional, open to choice, uncompelled The extra course in Commercial French is voluntary.
optional forced, obligatory, enforced, mandatory, conscripted

3. unpaid, volunteer, free, willing, honorary, gratuitous, pro bono (Law) In her spare time she does voluntary work for the homeless.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

voluntary

adjective

1. Of or relating to free exercise of the will:

volitional, willing.

2. Done by one's own choice:

free, spontaneous, uncompelled, unforced, volitional, willful.

3. Contributing one's time without pay:

uncompensated, unpaid, unrecompensed, unremunerated, unsalaried.

4. Done or said on purpose:

deliberate, intended, intentional, purposeful, willful, witting.

noun

Someone who offers his or her services freely:

volunteer.

Translations

تَطَوُّعيطَوْعيطَوْعِيّ

dobrovolný

frivilligfrivillig hjælpe-

vapaaehtoinen

dobrovoljan

alapítványi

sjálfboîaliîs-sjálfviljugur

volontario spontaneo volonario

自発的な

자발적인

savanoriškaisavanoriškas

brīvprātīgs

prostovoljen

frivillig

โดยสมัครใจ

gönüllüistekle yapılanistemliücretsiz

tình nguyện

自愿的靠捐助支持的

voluntary

[ˈvɒləntərɪ]

A. ADJ

1. (= not compulsory) [contribution, attendance, scheme] → voluntario
attendance is on a voluntary basis → la asistencia es voluntaria

2. (= unpaid) [work, helper] → voluntario
he does voluntary work in his spare time → trabaja de voluntario en su tiempo libre
he works at the school on a voluntary basis → trabaja en el colegio como voluntario

3. (= charitable) [organization] → benéfico

B. N (Mus) → solo m musical
an organ/trumpet voluntary → un solo de órgano/trompeta

C. CPD voluntary euthanasia N → eutanasia f voluntaria
voluntary hospital N (US) → hospital m benéfico
voluntary liquidation N (Comm, Fin) → liquidación f voluntaria, disolución f
to go into voluntary liquidation → entrar en liquidación voluntaria, disolverse voluntariamente
voluntary manslaughter N (US) (Jur) → homicidio m con circunstancias atenuantes
voluntary redundancy N → retiro m voluntario, baja f voluntaria (Sp)
to take voluntary redundancy → tomar el retiro voluntario, coger la baja voluntaria (Sp)
voluntary repatriation N → repatriación f voluntaria
the voluntary sector N → el voluntariado
Voluntary Service Overseas N (Brit) → Servicio m de Voluntarios en el Extranjero
voluntary worker N → voluntario/a m/f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

voluntary

[ˈvɒləntəri] adj

(= not compulsory) [scheme, attendance, course, donation, support, agreement] → volontaire

(= unpaid) [agency, body] → bénévole voluntary helpervoluntary euthanasia n → euthanasie f volontairevoluntary helper n → bénévole mfvoluntary liquidation n → dépôt m de bilanvoluntary organization n → organisation f bénévolevoluntary redundancy n (British) → départ m volontairevoluntary school n (British) → école f librevoluntary sector n
the voluntary sector → le secteur associatifvoluntary work n → bénévolat m
to do voluntary work → faire du bénévolatvoluntary worker n → bénévole mf

voluntary

adj

(= not obligatory) → freiwillig; to go into voluntary liquidation → in die freiwillige Liquidation gehen

(= unpaid) help, service, work → freiwillig; voluntary worker → freiwilliger Helfer, freiwillige Helferin; (overseas) → Entwicklungshelfer(in) m(f); on a voluntary basis → auf freiwilliger Basis, freiwillig

(= supported by charity, charitable) body, agency → karitativ; a voluntary organization for social work → ein freiwilliger Wohlfahrtsverband

(= having will) movements → willkürlich, willentlich; crime → vorsätzlich; man is a voluntary agent → der Mensch handelt aus freiem Willen

(Physiol) voluntary muscles → willkürliche Muskeln pl

n (Eccl, Mus) → Solo nt

voluntary

voluntary euthanasia

n → aktive Sterbehilfe

voluntary manslaughter

n (US Jur) → vorsätzliche Tötung

voluntary redundancy

n → freiwilliges Ausscheiden; to take voluntary → sich abfinden lassen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

voluntary

[ˈvɒlənt/ərɪ] adj (statement, confession) → spontaneo/a; (attendance) → facoltativo/a; (unpaid, contribution, work, worker) → volontario/a

voluntary

(ˈvoləntəri) , ((American) volənˈteri) adjective

1. done, given etc by choice, not by accident or because of being forced (often without pay). Their action was completely voluntary – nobody asked them to do that.

2. run, financed etc by such actions, contributions etc. He does a lot of work for a voluntary organization.

voluntarily (ˈvoləntərəli (American) volənˈterili) adverb

voluntary

→ طَوْعِيّ dobrovolný frivillig freiwillig εθελοντικός voluntario vapaaehtoinen volontaire dobrovoljan volonario 自発的な 자발적인 vrijwillig frivillig dobrowolny voluntário добровольный frivillig โดยสมัครใจ gönüllü tình nguyện 自愿的

vol·un·tar·y

a. voluntario-a;

___ muscle → músculo ___.

voluntary

adj voluntario

References in classic literature ?

It is customary to divide human movements into three classes, voluntary, reflex and mechanical.

'voluntary act.' Thus the animal's reflex and voluntary performances shade into each other gradually, being connected by acts which may often occur automatically, but may also be modified by conscious intelligence.

View in context

"A suttee," returned the general, "is a human sacrifice, but a voluntary one.

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It was late before the Archon granted a comic chorus to a poet; the performers were till then voluntary. Comedy had already taken definite shape when comic poets, distinctively so called, are heard of.

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Therefore extraordinary expense must be limited by the worth of the occasion; for voluntary undoing, may be as well for a man's country, as for the kingdom of heaven.

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In each of the latter, the efficacy of the federal resolutions depends on the subsequent and voluntary resolutions of the states composing the union.

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Besides, those who contrive this plan of community cannot easily avoid the following evils; namely, blows, murders involuntary or voluntary, quarrels, and reproaches, all which it would be impious indeed to be guilty of towards our fathers and mothers, or those who are nearly related to us; though not to those who are not connected to us by any tie of affinity: and certainly these mischiefs must necessarily happen oftener amongst those who do not know how they are connected to each other than those who do; and when they do happen, if it is among the first of these, they admit of a legal expiation, but amongst the latter that cannot be done.

View in context

Thus, a strain of gentle music, or the rippling of water in a silent place, or the odour of a flower, or the mention of a familiar word, will sometimes call up sudden dim remembrances of scenes that never were, in this life; which vanish like a breath; which some brief memory of a happier existence, long gone by, would seem to have awakened; which no voluntary exertion of the mind can ever recall.

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My death, praise I unto you, the voluntary death, which cometh unto me because I want it.

View in context

The result of this distress was, that, with a much more voluntary, cheerful consent than his daughter had ever presumed to hope for at the moment, she was able to fix her weddingdayand Mr.

View in context

Before me lay the Lost Sea of Korus, while farther on I caught the shimmering ribbon of Iss, the River of Mystery, where it wound out from beneath the Golden Cliffs to empty into Korus, to which for countless ages had been borne the deluded and unhappy Martians of the outer world upon the voluntary pilgrimage to this false heaven.

View in context

And we can never suppose that it would embrace the appointments to the Senate, unless we can at the same time suppose the voluntary co-operation of the State legislatures.