involuntary
Involuntary describes a reflex or action done without conscious control or will — like a blink, a sneeze, a yawn, or “the giggles.”
If you volunteered to do it, it’s voluntary. If you didn’t volunteer, but you find yourself doing it anyway, it’s involuntary. This can go for the involuntary hiccups you wrestle with on your blind date, as well as the involuntary task you do at your manager’s insistence. Involuntary gets a lot of blame, but something that is involuntary is not necessarily bad: Breathing is involuntary, but you would probably do it anyway if given the choice.
Definitions of involuntary
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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:
nonvoluntary, unvoluntary-
unconscious
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
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driven, goaded
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
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forced
forced or compelled
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unconscious
without conscious volition
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unwilled
without deliberate volition
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unwilling
in spite of contrary volition
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unwilling
not disposed or inclined toward
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Antonyms:
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voluntary
of your own free will or design; done by choice; not forced or compelled
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conscious
knowing and perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts
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intended
resulting from one’s intentions
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wilful, willful
done by design
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freewill
done of your own accord
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self-imposed
voluntarily assumed or endured
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uncoerced, unforced, willing
not brought about by coercion or force
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unpaid, volunteer
without payment
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willing
disposed or inclined toward
- show more antonyms…
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unconscious
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controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without conscious control
“involuntary muscles”“gave an
involuntary start”-
Synonyms:
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automatic, reflex, reflexive
without volition or conscious control
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autonomic
relating to or controlled by the autonomic nervous system
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vegetative
relating to involuntary bodily functions
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Antonyms:
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voluntary
controlled by individual volition
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automatic, reflex, reflexive
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