voluntary

English

Etymology

From Middle English *voluntarie, from Old French volontaire, from Latin voluntarius (“willing, of free will”), from voluntas (“will, choice, desire”), from volens, present participle of velle (“to will”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

voluntary (comparative more voluntary, superlative most voluntary)

1. Done, given, or acting of one's own free will.
2. Working or done without payment.

Synonyms

• discretionary
• optional
• willful
• volitional

Antonyms

• compulsory
• obligatory
• involuntary

Derived terms

• voluntarily

Related terms

• volition
• voluntarism
• voluntarist
• volunteer
• will

Translations

done, given, or acting of one's own free will

• Catalan: voluntari (ca)
• Czech: dobrovolný (cs) m
• Dutch: vrijwillig (nl)
• Esperanto: volonta (eo)
• Finnish: omaehtoinen (fi), vapaaehtoinen (fi)
• French: volontaire (fr)
• German: freiwillig (de)
• Greek: εκούσιος (el) (ekoúsios) m, εθελοντικός (el) (ethelontikós) m, προαιρετικός (el) (proairetikós) m, εθελούσιος (el) (etheloúsios) m

• Japanese: 志願して (ja) (shigan-shite)
• Jèrriais: volontaithe
• Polish: dobrowolny (pl) m
• Scottish Gaelic: saor-thoileach (gd)
• Spanish: voluntario (es)
• Telugu: స్వచ్ఛంద (te) (svachchhanda)

working or done without payment

• Czech: dobrovolný (cs) m
• Finnish: vapaaehtoinen (fi), vapaaehtois- (fi) (in compounds), talkoo- (fi)
• French: bénévole (fr)

• German: ohne Bezahlung (de) (without payment), ehrenamtlich (de) (honorary)
• Greek: εθελοντικός (el) (ethelontikós) m
• Scottish Gaelic: saor-thoileach (gd)

Adverb

voluntary (comparative more voluntary, superlative most voluntary)

1. (obsolete) Voluntarily.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:

     And all that els was pretious and deare, / The sea unto him voluntary brings [...].

Noun

voluntary (plural voluntaries)

1. (music) A short piece of music, often having improvisation, played on a solo instrument
2. A volunteer