voluntary implies freedom and spontaneity of choice or action without external compulsion.
a voluntary confession
intentional stresses an awareness of an end to be achieved.
the intentional concealment of vital information
deliberate implies full consciousness of the nature of one's act and its consequences.
deliberate acts of sabotage
willing implies a readiness and eagerness to accede to or anticipate the wishes of another.
willing obedience
Example Sentences
Adjective Participation in the program is completely voluntary. He was charged with voluntary manslaughter. the voluntary muscles that control urination
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Hundreds of them signed a letter to Condé Nast managers requesting voluntary recognition. Elahe Izadi, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2022 Hundreds of them signed a letter to Condé Nast managers requesting voluntary recognition. Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2022 As with any sort of etiquette, compliance is voluntary but suggested. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2022 In fact, before the Environment Act, monitoring sewage pollution was voluntary, not mandatory, for the water companies. Julia Buckley, CNN, 27 Aug. 2022 The government hadn’t previously reported on vaccine recipients’ demographics, because such information sharing is voluntary. Mike Stobbe, Carla K. Johnson And Zeke Miller, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Aug. 2022 In May, ShadowMachine granted voluntary recognition to a group of organizing production workers that sought to unionize with The Animation Guild. Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2022 Over 75% of Film and Television Music Supervisors signed union cards agreeing to have IATSE, on their behalf, petition the AMPTP for voluntary recognition of their union. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 June 2022 Employees are asking for voluntary recognition of their union by Thursday. Emma Hinchliffe And Paige Mcglauflin, Fortune, 3 May 2022
Noun
Others made the shift into self-employment voluntary after taking the time to evaluate their professional standing. Jasmine Browley, Essence, 12 July 2022 In Libya, Muammar Gaddafi voluntary gave up his nuclear program, but that didn’t stop the United States from actively supporting rebels who toppled his regime and savagely killed him. Michael A. Cohen, The New Republic, 25 Jan. 2022 Virginia enacted legislation in 2021 to establish an auto-IRA savings program and the New York state legislature has passed legislation that would amend their law to switch from a voluntary to a mandatory auto-IRA program statewide. Dan Doonan, Forbes, 1 Sep. 2021 Danario Green was optimistic about returning to work as a JetBlue flight attendant after taking a five-month voluntary leave earlier in the pandemic. Natalie B. Compton, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Nov. 2020 The actual number of layoffs and furloughs may decrease for both American and United before Oct. 1 because of union agreements and other voluntary buyout negotiations, according to company memos. Anna Kramer, SFChronicle.com, 4 Aug. 2020 For players, that means a certain level of accomplishment or desire for a new contract can be reason to skip the voluntaries. Sam Mellinger, kansascity.com, 20 June 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, from Anglo-French voluntarie, from Latin voluntarius, from voluntas will, from velle to will, wish — more at will