voluntary
Syllables: vol·un·ta·ryUK/ˈvɒl.ən.tɹi//ˈvɑ.lənˌt(ɛ)ɹi/
voluntary adjective: done, given, or acting of one's own free will.
Adjective
voluntary (comparative more voluntary, superlative most voluntary)
- Done, given, or acting of one's own free will.
- September 10, 1828, Nathaniel William Taylor, Sermon delivered in the Chapel of Yale College
That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy. - She fell, to lust a voluntary prey.1726, Alexander, transl. Pope, “Book III”, in The Odyssey, translation of original by Homer, line 345; republished in The Complete Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Boston, New York: Houghton...
- September 10, 1828, Nathaniel William Taylor, Sermon delivered in the Chapel of Yale College
- Done by design or intention; intentional.
- If a man accidentally kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter.
- Synonyms:
- intentional
- Working or done without payment.
- Wikimedia is a voluntary service.
- Synonyms:
- honorary, pro bono, unpaid, unsalaried, unwaged
- Endowed with the power of willing.
- […] God did not work as a necessary, but a voluntary agent, intending before-hand, and decreeing with himself, that which did outwardly proceed from him.1594, Richard Hooker, “Book 1”, in Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, London: John Walthoe et al, published 1782, page 5
- Synonyms:
- autonomous, spontaneous
- Of or relating to voluntarism.
- a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church
Adverb
voluntary (comparative more voluntary, superlative most voluntary)
- Voluntarily.
- And all that els was pretious and deare, / The sea unto him voluntary brings [...].1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
Noun
voluntary (plural voluntaries)
- A short piece of music, often having improvisation, played on a solo instrument.
- A volunteer.
- A supporter of voluntarism; a voluntarist.
voluntary meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
voluntary in Hindi
- done, given, or acting of one's own free will
- स्वेच्छा svecchā
- done by design or intention; intentional
- स्वैच्छिक svaicchik
voluntary in Tamil
- தன் விருப்ப இயல்பான, தன்னார்வ, தன்னிச்சையாக, தன்னியலான, தன்விருப்பார்ந்த, கட்டுப்பாட்டிற்குட்பட்ட
voluntary in Marathi
- ऐच्छिक
voluntary in Urdu
- عمداً, اختیاری, ارادی, قصداً, رضاکارانہ
More languagesFewer languages
- voluntary in Bengali
- নফল nôfôl
- voluntary in Telugu
- స్వచ్ఛంద svacchanda
- voluntary in Malayalam
- സ്വമേധയാ svamēdhayā
- voluntary in Kannada
- ತನ್ನೊಲವಿನಂತೆ, ಬಯಸಿದಂತೆ, ಸ್ವ ಇಚ್ಛೆಯ, ಸ್ವಯಂಪ್ರೇರಿತ
- voluntary in Punjabi
- ਸਵੈਇੱਛੁਕ, ਸਵੈਇੱਛੁਕਤਾ, ਸਵੈ-ਇੱਛੁਕ
- voluntary in Gujarati
- સ્વૈચ્છિક
- voluntary in Odia
- ସ୍ୱେଚ୍ଛାକୃତ
- voluntary in Nepali
- स्वैच्छिक, स्वेच्छिक
- voluntary in Tagalog
- pakusa
- voluntary in Indonesian
- swakarsa, volunter, sukarela, rela hati
Examples of voluntary in a sentence
- There is a demand for voluntary health workers in the poorer parts of Africa and Asia.
- I knew my business was on the rocks, so I started considering going into voluntary bankruptcy.
- Voluntary nonparticipation in the work force is a growing problem in some developed countries.
Synonyms of voluntary
- intentional
- honorary
- pro bono
- unpaid
- unsalaried
- unwaged
- autonomous
- spontaneous
- discretionary
- optional
2 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
- antonym(s) of
- compulsory
- obligatory
- accidental
- paid
- salaried
Forms of voluntary
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more voluntary |
| superlative | most voluntary |
| Adverb | |
| comparative | more voluntary |
| superlative | most voluntary |
| Noun | |
| plural | voluntaries |
Origin of voluntary
From Middle English voluntarie, from Old French volontaire, from Latin voluntārius (“willing, of free will”), from voluntās (“will, choice, desire”), from volēns, present participle of volo (“to will”). Displaced native Old English selfwille (literally “self-willed”).
Words formed from voluntary
- individual voluntary arrangement
- nonvoluntary
- semivoluntary
- unvoluntary
- volcel
- voluntarily
- voluntariness
- voluntaristic
- voluntary agent
- voluntary aided school
- voluntary controlled school
- voluntaryist
- voluntary jurisdiction
- voluntary manslaughter
- voluntary movement
- voluntary muscle
- voluntary waste
- voluntary work
- volun-told
Phrases with voluntary
Questions about voluntary
- What does voluntary mean?
- Voluntary means done, given, or acting of one's own free will.
- What is voluntary in Hindi?
- Voluntary in Hindi is स्वेच्छा (svecchā), स्वैच्छिक (svaicchik). See Voluntary meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is voluntary?
- Voluntary can be an adjective, an adverb or a noun.
- How do you pronounce voluntary?
- Voluntary is pronounced /ˈvɒl.ən.tɹi/ (UK).
Words near voluntary in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: voluntary (page history and authors); voluntary (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); voluntary (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); voluntary (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); voluntary (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); voluntary (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); voluntary (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); voluntary (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); voluntary (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-voluntary.ogg.
Cite this entry: “voluntary.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/voluntary. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.