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voluntary - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'voluntary' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Voluntary [ n.]
- One who engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer.
- A piece played by a musician, often extemporarily, according to his fancy; specifically, an organ solo played before, during, or after divine service.
- One who advocates voluntaryism.
2 . Voluntary [ v. t.]
- Proceeding from the will; produced in or by an act of choice.
- Unconstrained by the interference of another; unimpelled by the influence of another; not prompted or persuaded by another; done of his or its own accord; spontaneous; acting of one's self, or of itself; free.
- Done by design or intention; intentional; purposed; intended; not accidental; as, if a man kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter.
- Of or pertaining to the will; subject to, or regulated by, the will; as, the voluntary motions of an animal, such as the movements of the leg or arm (in distinction from involuntary motions, such as the movements of the heart); the voluntary muscle fibers, which are the agents in voluntary motion.
- Endowed with the power of willing; as, man is a voluntary agent.
- Free; without compulsion; according to the will, consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration; gratuitous; without valuable consideration.
- Of or pertaining to voluntaryism; as, a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church.

Meaning of 'voluntary' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . voluntary [ a]
Meaning (1):
- of your own free will or design; done by choice; not forced or compelled
Example in sentence:
  • a voluntary confession;
  • man is a voluntary agent;
  • participation was voluntary;
  • voluntary generosity in times of disaster;
  • voluntary manslaughter;
  • voluntary social workers
Meaning (2):
- controlled by individual volition
Example in sentence:
  • voluntary motions;
  • voluntary muscles

Nearby Words:

vol-au-vent volacious volador volage volant volante volapuk volapukist volar volary

See 'voluntary' also in:

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