Involuntary

How to spell involuntary

11 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce involuntary

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does involuntary mean?

1. adjectiveDone or happening without conscious choice, intention, or control.

Involuntary in a sentence

• The cold water caused an involuntary gasp.

• Blinking is an involuntary response that protects the eyes.

Where does involuntary come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin involuntarius, meaning 'not willing' or 'done against one's will'. It was built from the negative prefix in- ('not') and voluntarius ('willing'), which in turn rested on voluntas, the Latin noun for 'will' or 'wish', itself derived from velle, 'to want'. English took the word in during the early 1500s, often in legal and moral contexts where it mattered whether an act was chosen freely or compelled. Over time it broadened to cover any reflex or reaction that happens without conscious control, such as a flinch or a shiver. The same volunt- root still lives openly in 'volunteer' and 'voluntary', and remembering that family helps fix the spelling: the middle is volunt, not volent, and the ending is -ary, not -ery.

How the word is built

• in- (not)
• volunt- (from Latin voluntas: will, wish)
• -ary (adjective suffix)