volun-told en · ADJ
Etymology
Blend of voluntary + told
Meanings
-
(US, slang) Nominally voluntary but understood to be an order.
Yet military life includes times when requests, though not explicit, are understood as orders, says Michael Weinstein, a former U.S. military lawyer and founder of MRFF. The U.S. military word for it, he notes, is “volun-told.”
2026 April 23, Anna Mulrine Grobe, Sophie Hills, quoting Michael Weinstein, “Pete Hegseth’s religious rhetoric stirs debate in military”, in The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Massachusetts: Christian Science Publishing Society, →ISSN, →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most volun-told | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more volun-told | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |