involuntary - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

in·vol·un·tar·y

Audio Help [in-vol-uh

n-ter-ee] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	not voluntary; independent of one's will; not by one's own choice: an involuntary listener; involuntary servitude.

2.	unintentional; unconscious: an involuntary gesture.

3.	Physiology. acting independently of or done or occurring without volition: involuntary muscles.

[Origin: 1525–35; < LL involuntārius. See in-³, voluntary

]

—Related forms

in·vol·un·tar·i·ly

Audio Help [in-vol-uh

n-ter-uh-lee, -vol-uh

n-tair-] Pronunciation Key, adverb

in·vol·un·tar·i·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1, 3. See automatic. 2. instinctive. 3. reflex, uncontrolled.

—Antonyms 2. intentional.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

in·vol·un·tar·y Audio Help (ĭn-vŏl'ən-těr'ē) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Acting or done without or against one's will: an involuntary participant in what turned out to be an argument.
Not subject to control of the volition: gave an involuntary start. See Synonyms at spontaneous.

in·vol'un·tar'i·ly (-târ'ə-lē) adv., in·vol'un·tar'i·ness n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
involuntary

1531, from L.L. involuntarius "involuntary," from in- "not" + L. voluntarius (see voluntary).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

involuntary
adjective
1.	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 [ant: voluntary]
2.	controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without conscious control; "involuntary muscles"; "gave an involuntary start" [ant: voluntary]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
involuntary [inˈvoləntəri] adjective

(of an action etc) not intentional
Example: He gave an involuntary cry.

Arabic:	لا إرادي، لا إخْتِياري
Chinese (Simplified):	无意识的
Chinese (Traditional):	無意識的
Czech:	nedobrovolný; bezděčný
Danish:	ufrivillig
Dutch:	onwillekeurig
Estonian:	tahtmatu
Finnish:	tahaton
French:	involontaire
German:	unfreiwillig
Greek:	ακούσιος
Hungarian:	önkéntelen
Icelandic:	ósjálfráður
Indonesian:	disengaja
Italian:	involontario

Japanese:	思わず知らずの
Korean:	무의식의
Latvian:	netīšs; negribēts
Lithuanian:	nevalingas
Norwegian:	ufrivillig, uvilkårlig
Polish:	mimowolny
Portuguese (Brazil):	involuntário
Portuguese (Portugal):	involuntário
Romanian:	involuntar
Russian:	непроизвольный
Slovak:	neúmyselný
Slovenian:	nenameren
Spanish:	involuntario
Swedish:	ofrivillig, oavsiktlig
Turkish:	istemeden

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

involuntary Audio Help (ĭn-vŏl'ən-těr'ē) Pronunciation Key
Not under conscious control. Most of the biological processes in animals that are vital to life, such as contraction of the heart, blood flow, breathing, and digestion, are involuntary and controlled by the autonomic nervous system.