Link Centre Dictionary

involuntary

in·vo·lun·tary

UK/ɪnˈvɒl.ən.tɹi/ US/ɪnˈvɑ.lənˌtɛɹ.i/ uncommon

adjective

1.

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
Synonyms
Antonyms
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2.

controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without conscious control

  • “involuntary muscles”
  • “gave an involuntary start”
Antonyms
Similar

Origin

From in- + voluntary, from Late Latin involontarius, from in + volontarius.

Phrases

  • involuntary manslaughter
  • involuntary movement
  • involuntary muscle
  • involuntary park
  • involuntary sculpture

Related words

Word family

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.