'Voluntary' definitions:

Definition of 'voluntary'

(from WordNet)
adjective
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, nonvoluntary, unvoluntary]
adjective
Controlled by individual volition; "voluntary motions"; "voluntary muscles" [ant: involuntary]
noun
(military) a person who freely enlists for service [syn: volunteer, military volunteer, voluntary] [ant: conscript, draftee, inductee]
noun
Composition (often improvised) for a solo instrument (especially solo organ) and not a regular part of a religious service or musical performance

Definition of 'Voluntary'

From: GCIDE
  • 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. [1913 Webster]
  • That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy. --N. W. Taylor. [1913 Webster]
  • 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. [1913 Webster]
  • Our voluntary service he requires. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
  • She fell to lust a voluntary prey. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
  • 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. [1913 Webster]
  • 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. [1913 Webster]
  • 5. Endowed with the power of willing; as, man is a voluntary agent. [1913 Webster]
  • 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. [1913 Webster]
  • 6. (Law) Free; without compulsion; according to the will, consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration; gratuitous; without valuable consideration. [1913 Webster]
  • 7. (Eccl.) Of or pertaining to voluntaryism; as, a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church. [1913 Webster]
  • Voluntary affidavit or Voluntary oath (Law), an affidavit or oath made in an 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. [1913 Webster]
  • Syn: See Spontaneous. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Voluntary'

From: GCIDE
  • Voluntary \Vol"un*ta*ry\, n.; pl. Voluntaries.
  • 1. One who engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer. [R.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 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. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. (Eccl.) One who advocates voluntaryism. [1913 Webster]

Synonyms of 'voluntary'

From: Moby Thesaurus

Words containing 'Voluntary'