involuntary

English

Etymology

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

Adjective

involuntary (comparative more involuntary, superlative most involuntary)

1. Without intention; unintentional.

   He involuntarily overheard the conversation.

2. Not voluntary or willing; contrary or opposed to explicit will or desire; unwilling.

   He found himself the involuntary witness in the trial.

Synonyms

• unvoluntary

Derived terms

• involuntarily
• involuntariness

Related terms

• volunteer

Translations

Without intention; unintentional

Catalan: involuntari (ca) Dutch: niet intentioneel (nl) Finnish: tahaton (fi) Georgian: უნებლიე (ka) (uneblie)

German: unabsichtlich (de) Greek: ακούσιος (el) (akoúsios) m., αθέλητος (el) (athélitos) m. Russian: невольный (ru) (nevól'nyj) Spanish: involuntario (es)

Not voluntary or willing; contrary or opposed to explicit will or desire; unwilling

Catalan: involuntari (ca) Dutch: onwillekeurig (nl) Finnish: vastentahtoinen German: unfreiwillig (de)

Greek: ακούσιος (el) (akoúsios) m., αθέλητος (el) (athélitos) m. Manx: neuarryltagh (gv) Russian: невольный (ru) (nevól'nyj) Spanish: involuntario (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

French: involontaire Interlingua: involuntari

Portuguese: involuntário m., involuntária f.

References

• involuntary in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• involuntary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913