Dictionary

spontaneous en · ADJ

Pronunciation

/spɑnˈteɪ.ni.əs/ (US)
(US) audio
/spɒnˈteɪ.ni.əs/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin sponte Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānus Proto-Indo-European *-éyos Proto-Italic *-ejos Proto-Italic *-eos Latin -eus Latin -āneus Late Latin spontāneuslbor. English spontaneous Learned borrowing from Late Latin spontāneus.

Meanings

Self-directed; happening or acting without external cause or instigation; proceeding from natural feeling, temperament, or momentary impulse.
- Lady Bertram agreed to it all with a calm “Yes”; and at the end of a quarter of an hour’s silent consideration spontaneously observed, “Sir Thomas, I have been thinking—and I am very glad we took Fanny as we did, for now the others are away we feel the good of it.” 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, J. Johnson:
- He made a spontaneous offer of help.
Done by one's own free choice, or without planning.
- YSL, as he is often called, is equally capable of casual, aristocratic cruelty and earthy, spontaneous tenderness, and when you study his face it can be hard to distinguish boredom from rapture. 2015 May 7, A. O. Scott, “Review: ‘Saint Laurent,’ Beautiful People, High Fashion and Career at Its Pinnacle”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2019:
Controlled and directed internally; self-active; spontaneous movement characteristic of living things.
Produced without being planted or without human cultivation or labor.
- He persisted in his design; and, because he would not make his wants known, actually subsisted for several days on hips, haws and sloes, and other spontaneous fruits which he gathered in the woods and fields. 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, chapter 106, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume IV, London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:
Sudden, without warning.
Said or done without prior planning or prior writing.
- He made spontaneous remarks in the court, after being asked an unexpected question.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
most spontaneous	Degree=Sup		lexicographic
more spontaneous	Degree=Cmp		lexicographic

Translations (109)

pt espontâneo (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · fr indigène (produced without being planted or without human labor) · fi omaehtoinen (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · as সহজাত (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · ru спонта́нный (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · fr spontané (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · cs spontánní (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · fr volontaire (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · sh spȍntān (arising from a momentary impulse) · nl spontaan (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · fi impulsiivinen (arising from a momentary impulse) · mk спо́нтан (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · pl spontaniczny (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · pt espontâneo (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · bg спонтанен (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · mi tene (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · hu spontán (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · cs spontánní (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · fa خود جوش، داوطلبانه، ناگهانی (sudden, without warning) · ca espontani (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · es espontáneo (arising from a momentary impulse) · mi tene (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · ro spontan (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · sv reflexmässig (controlled and directed internally) · fi äkillinen (sudden, without warning) · fr soudain (sudden, without warning) · grc αὐτόματος (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · gl ventureiro (produced without being planted or without human labor) · eo spontanea (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · es espontáneo (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · el αβίαστος (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · fr réflexe (controlled and directed internally) · el ακούσιος (controlled and directed internally) · fi oma-aloitteinen (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · pl spontaniczny (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · el ενστικτώδης (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · el αυθόρμητος (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · ca espontani (arising from a momentary impulse) · tr kendiliğinden (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · fr naturel (not apparently contrived or manipulated) · cs spontánní (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · fi spontaani (not apparently contrived or manipulated) · el ξαφνικός (sudden, without warning) · la spontāneus (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · ru доброво́льный (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · fi spontaani (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · el παρορμητικός (arising from a momentary impulse) · bg естествен (produced without being planted or without human labor) · el αυθόρμητος (arising from a momentary impulse) · fi spontaani (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · fi luonnollinen (produced without being planted or without human labor) · nb spontan (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · nb plutselig (sudden, without warning) · uk мимові́льний (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · pl samorzutny (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · it spontaneo (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · hu spontán (sudden, without warning) · mk добро́волен (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · gl ventureiro (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · sv spontan (arising from a momentary impulse) · bg самопроизво́лен (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · cs impulzivní (arising from a momentary impulse) · fi yllättävä (sudden, without warning) · tr spontan (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · fr spontané (not apparently contrived or manipulated) · ro spontan (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · el φυσικός (not apparently contrived or manipulated) · el αυθόρμητος (not apparently contrived or manipulated) · sh spȍntān (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · fr endémique (produced without being planted or without human labor) · el αυθόρμητος (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · el αυθόρμητος (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · gl espontáneo (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · el πηγαίος (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · mk при́роден (produced without being planted or without human labor) · tl kusa (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · bg непринуден (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · ms spontan (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · mk непри́нуден (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · uk спонта́нний (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · sh ȉmpulzīvan (arising from a momentary impulse) · it spontaneo (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · sh spȍntān (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · bg внезапен (sudden, without warning) · nn plutseleg (sudden, without warning) · la extemporālis (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · sv spontan (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · sh spȍntān (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · el εθελοντικός (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · nn spontan (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · as স্বতঃস্ফুৰ্ট (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · eo spontana (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · ca espontani (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · gd saor-thoileach (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · sv spontan (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · cmn 自发的 (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · fr spontané (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · fr impulsif (arising from a momentary impulse) · mi tene (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · es espontáneo (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · ru самопроизво́льный (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · de spontan (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · mk спо́нтан (arising from a momentary impulse) · mi ohia (arising from a momentary impulse) · fr spontané (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause) · sv spontan (proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint) · de spontan (done by one's own free choice, or without planning) · bg спонтанен (arising from a momentary impulse) · hu spontán (self generated; happening without any apparent external cause)

spontaneous en · ADJ

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Translations (109)