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.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adv.

voluntarily - out of your own free will; "he voluntarily submitted to the fingerprinting"

involuntarily - against your will; "he was involuntarily held against his will"

voluntarily

adverb willingly, freely, by choice, without being asked, without prompting, lief (rare), on your own initiative, of your own free will, off your own bat, of your own accord, of your own volition I would never leave this country voluntarily.

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

voluntarily

adverb

Of one's own free will:

freely, spontaneously, willfully, willingly.

Idioms: of one's own accord, on one's own volition.

Translations

طَوْعاًطَوْعِيّا، تَطَوُّعِيَّا

dobrovolně

frivilligt

freiwillig

εθελοντικά εκουσίως

voluntariamente

vapaaehtoisesti

volontairement bénévolement

dobrovoljno

önkéntesen

viljandi; af fúsum og frjálsum vilja

spontaneamente volontariamente

自発的に

자발적으로

dobrovoľne

prostovoljno

frivilligt

อย่างสมัครใจ

gönüllü olarak

tình nguyện

自愿地

voluntarily

[ˈvɒləntərɪlɪ] ADV

1. (= freely) → voluntariamente, por voluntad propia

2. (= for no payment) [work] → como voluntario

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

voluntarily

[ˈvɒlənt^ərɪli] adv

(= willingly) [leave] → volontairement

(= unpaid) [work] → bénévolement

voluntarily

adv → freiwillig, von sich aus; (= unpaid) work → ehrenamtlich

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

voluntarily

[ˈvɒlənt/ərɪlɪ] adv → spontaneamente, volontariamente

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

voluntarily

→ طَوْعاً dobrovolně frivilligt freiwillig εκουσίως voluntariamente vapaaehtoisesti volontairement dobrovoljno volontariamente 自発的に 자발적으로 vrijwillig frivillig dobrowolnie voluntariamente добровольно frivilligt อย่างสมัครใจ gönüllü olarak tình nguyện 自愿地