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8 dictionary results for: voluntary
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
vol·un·tar·y       [vol-uhn-ter-ee] Pronunciation Key adjective, noun, plural -tar·ies.
–adjective
1.done, made, brought about, undertaken, etc., of one's own accord or by free choice: a voluntary contribution.
2.of, pertaining to, or acting in accord with the will: voluntary cooperation.
3.of, pertaining to, or depending on voluntary action: voluntary hospitals.
4.Law.
a.acting or done without compulsion or obligation.
b.done by intention, and not by accident: voluntary manslaughter.
c.made without valuable consideration: a voluntary settlement.
5.Physiology. subject to or controlled by the will.
6.having the power of willing or choosing: a voluntary agent.
7.proceeding from a natural impulse; spontaneous: voluntary laughter.
–noun
8.something done voluntarily.
9.a piece of music, frequently spontaneous and improvised, performed as a prelude to a larger work, esp. a piece of organ music performed before, during, or after an office of the church.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L voluntārius, equiv. to volunt(ās) willingness, inclination (ult. repr. a formation with -tās -ty2 on the prp. of velle to want, wish; see will1, -ent) + -ārius -ary]

—Related forms
vol·un·tar·i·ly       [vol-uhn-tair-uh-lee, vol-uhn-ter-] Pronunciation Key, adverb
vol·un·tar·i·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. considered, purposeful, planned, intended, designed. See deliberate. 7. free, unforced, natural, unconstrained. Voluntary, spontaneous agree in applying to something that is a natural outgrowth or natural expression arising from circumstances and conditions. Voluntary implies having given previous consideration, or having exercised judgment: a voluntary confession; a voluntary movement; The offer was a voluntary one. Something that is spontaneous arises as if by itself from the nature of the circumstances or condition: spontaneous applause, combustion, expression of admiration.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
vol·un·tar·y       (vŏl'ən-těr'ē)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.  
  1. Done or undertaken of one's own free will: a voluntary decision to leave the job.
  2. Acting or done willingly and without constraint or expectation of reward: a voluntary hostage; voluntary community work.
  3. Normally controlled by or subject to individual volition: voluntary muscle contractions.
  4. Capable of making choices; having the faculty of will.
  5. Supported by contributions or charitable donations rather than by government appropriations: voluntary hospitals.
  6. Law
    1. Without legal obligation or consideration: a voluntary conveyance of property.
    2. Done deliberately; intentional: voluntary manslaughter.

n.   pl. vol·un·tar·ies
  1. Music
    1. A short piece of music, often improvised on a solo instrument, played as an introduction to a larger work.
    2. A piece for solo organ, often improvised, played before, during, or after a religious service.
  2. A volunteer.


[Middle English, from Latin voluntārius, from voluntās, choice, from velle, vol-, to wish; see wel-1 in Indo-European roots.]

vol'un·tar'i·ly (-târ'ə-lē) adv., vol'un·tar'i·ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean being or resulting from one's own free will. Voluntary implies the operation of unforced choice: "Ignorance, when it is voluntary, is criminal" (Samuel Johnson).
Intentional applies to something undertaken to further a plan or realize an aim: "I will abstain from all intentional wrongdoing and harm" (Hippocratic Oath).
Deliberate stresses premeditation and full awareness of the character and consequences of one's acts: taking deliberate and decisive action.
Willful implies deliberate, headstrong persistence in a self-determined course of action: a willful waste of time.
Willing suggests ready or cheerful acquiescence in the proposals or requirements of another: "The first requisite of a good citizen ... is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight" (Theodore Roosevelt).

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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
voluntary 
c.1374 (implied in voluntarily), from L. voluntarius "of one's free will," from voluntas "will," from the ancient accusative singular prp. of velle "to wish" (see will (v.)). Originally of feelings, later also of actions (c.1449).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
voluntary

adjective
1. of your own free will or design; done by choice; not forced or compelled; "man is a voluntary agent"; "participation was voluntary"; "voluntary manslaughter"; "voluntary generosity in times of disaster"; "voluntary social workers"; "a voluntary confession" [ant: involuntary] 
2. controlled by individual volition; "voluntary motions"; "voluntary muscles" [ant: involuntary] 

noun
1. (military) a person who freely enlists for service [syn: volunteer] [ant: conscript] 
2. composition (often improvised) for a solo instrument (especially solo organ) and not a regular part of a religious service or musical performance 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

voluntary vol·un·tar·y (vŏl'ən-těr'ē)
adj.

  1. Arising from or acting on one's own free will.
  2. Normally controlled by or subject to individual volition, as of respiration.
  3. Capable of making choices; having the faculty of will.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: vol·un·tary
Pronunciation: 'vä-l&n-"ter-E
Function: adjective
1 a : proceeding from one's own free choice or consent rather than as the result of duress, coercion, or deception voluntary statement> b : not compelled by law : done as a matter of choice or agreement <voluntary arbitration> c : made freely and with an understanding of the consequences voluntary plea of guilty>
2 : done by design or intention
3 : made without valuable consideration or for nominal consideration voluntary conveyance> —vol·un·tar·i·ly /"vä-l&n-'ter-&-lE/ adverb —vol·un·tar·i·ness noun

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Voluntary

Vol"un*ta*ry\, a. [L. voluntarius, fr. voluntas will, choice, from the root of velle to will, p. pr. volens; akin to E. will: cf. F. volontaire, Of. also voluntaire. See Will, v. t., and cf. Benevolent, Volition, Volunteer.]

1. Proceeding from the will; produced in or by an act of choice.

That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy. --N. W. Taylor.

2. Unconstrained by the interference of another; unimpelled by the influence of another; not prompted or persuaded by another; done of his or its own accord; spontaneous; acting of one's self, or of itself; free.

Our voluntary service he requires. --Milton.

She fell to lust a voluntary prey. --Pope.

3. Done by design or intention; intentional; purposed; intended; not accidental; as, if a man kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter.

4. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to the will; subject to, or regulated by, the will; as, the voluntary motions of an animal, such as the movements of the leg or arm (in distinction from involuntary motions, such as the movements of the heart); the voluntary muscle fibers, which are the agents in voluntary motion.

5. Endowed with the power of willing; as, man is a voluntary agent.

God did not work as a necessary, but a voluntary, agent, intending beforehand, and decreeing with himself, that which did outwardly proceed from him. --Hooker.

6. (Law) Free; without compulsion; according to the will, consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration; gratuitous; without valuable consideration.

7. (Eccl.) Of or pertaining to voluntaryism; as, a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church.

Voluntary affidavit or oath (Law), an affidavit or oath made in extrajudicial matter.

Voluntary conveyance (Law), a conveyance without valuable consideration.

Voluntary escape (Law), the escape of a prisoner by the express consent of the sheriff.

Voluntary jurisdiction. (Eng. Eccl. Law) See Contentious jurisdiction, under Contentious.

Voluntary waste. (Law) See Waste, n., 4.

Syn: See Spontaneous.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Voluntary

Vol"un*ta*ry\, n.; pl. Voluntaries. 1. One who engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer. [R.] --Shak.

2. (Mus.) A piece played by a musician, often extemporarily, according to his fancy; specifically, an organ solo played before, during, or after divine service.

3. (Eccl.) One who advocates voluntaryism.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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