spontaneous

English

Etymology

Late Latin spontaneus, from Latin sponte (sua) (“of one's free will, voluntarily”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪniəs

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪnɪəs

Adjective

spontaneous (comparative more spontaneous, superlative most spontaneous)

1. Self generated; happening without any apparent external cause.

   He made a spontaneous offer of help.

2. Done by one's own free choice, or without planning.
3. proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint
4. arising from a momentary impulse
5. controlled and directed internally : self-active : spontaneous movement characteristic of living things
6. produced without being planted or without human labor : indigenous
7. not apparently contrived or manipulated : natural
8. Random.
9. Sudden, without warning.

Synonyms

• (Self-generated): autonomous
• (Done by one's own free choice): autonomous
• (Proceeding from natural feeling...): autonomous

Derived terms

• spontaneity
• spontaneously
• spontaneousness

Related terms

• spontaneous combustion

Translations

Self generated; happening without any apparent external cause

• Czech: spontánní (cs)
• Finnish: spontaani (fi)
• French: spontané (fr), volontaire (fr)
• German: spontan (de)
• Hungarian: spontán (hu)
• Italian: spontaneo (it)

• Norwegian: spontan (no)
• Polish: spontaniczny m
• Romanian: spontan (ro) m
• Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh)
• Turkish: kendiliğinden (tr)

Done by one's own free choice, or without planning

• Czech: spontánní (cs)
• Finnish: spontaani (fi), oma-aloitteinen (fi)
• French: spontané (fr)
• German: spontan (de)
• Hungarian: spontán (hu)

• Italian: spontaneo (it) m
• Polish: spontaniczny m
• Romanian: spontan (ro) m
• Scottish Gaelic: saor-thoileach (gd)
• Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh)

proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint

• Czech: spontánní (cs)
• French: spontané (fr)

• Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh)

arising from a momentary impulse

• Czech: impulzivní (cs)
• Finnish: impulsiivinen (fi)

• French: impulsif (fr)
• Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh), ȉmpulzīvan (sh)

controlled and directed internally

• French: réflexe (fr)

produced without being planted or without human labor

• French: indigène (fr), endémique (fr)

not apparently contrived or manipulated

• French: naturel (fr), spontané (fr)

Random

• French: imprévisible (fr), aléatoire (fr)

Sudden, without warning

• French: soudain (fr)
• Hungarian: spontán (hu)

• Persian: خود جوش، داوطلبانه، ناگهانی (fa)

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

• Dutch: spontaan

• Spanish: espontáneo