Dictionary

voluntarily en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ˈvɒləntɹɪli/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌvɒlənˈtɛɹɪli/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌvɑlənˈtɛɹɪli/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Middle English voluntarie English voluntary Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English voluntarily From voluntary + -ly.

Meanings

1. In a voluntary manner, particularly
   • But no state has voluntarily sought a statewide remedy to segregation in the 70 years since the Brown v. Board of Education decision outlawed government sanctioned, racially separate schools. 2024 June 9, Tracey Tully, “Facing Entrenched School Segregation, New Jersey Tries Something New”, in The New York Times:
2. In a voluntary manner ▸ Of one's own free will.
   • As Shaylene was legally considered an adult, the police initially assumed she left voluntarily. They considered she may have parked the car or willingly gotten into another vehicle to skip town. 2026 August 6, Nicholas Muhoro, “An Ohio Teen Vanished During a One-Mile Drive in 1994. Her Locked Car Was Found Hours Later”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2026:

Forms

Antonyms

unintentionally · compulsorily · unknowingly · accidentally · involuntarily · unwillingly

Deriveds

nonvoluntarily · unvoluntarily

Hypernyms

acquiescent

Synonyms

acquiescently · complicitly · knowingly · voluntarily · willingly · consciously · cooperatively · expectedly · intentionally · obligingly · willingly · consentingly

Translations (35)

ja 自発的に (in a voluntary manner) · eo volonte (in a voluntary manner) · fr bénévolement (in a voluntary manner) · pt voluntariamente (in a voluntary manner) · ro voit (in a voluntary manner) · fi vapaaehtoisesti (in a voluntary manner) · ca voluntàriament (in a voluntary manner) · ja 自主的に (in a voluntary manner) · el εκουσίως (in a voluntary manner) · uk доброві́льно (in a voluntary manner) · eo propravole (in a voluntary manner) · fr volontairement (in a voluntary manner) · pl niewymuszenie (in a voluntary manner) · hy ինքնակամ (in a voluntary manner) · hu önként (in a voluntary manner) · el εθελοντικά (in a voluntary manner) · eo vole (in a voluntary manner) · ru доброво́льно (in a voluntary manner) · hu önkéntesen (in a voluntary manner) · cmn 自願 /自愿 (in a voluntary manner) · grc ἑκουσίως (in a voluntary manner) · ro voluntar (in a voluntary manner) · cs dobrovolně (in a voluntary manner) · hu akaratlagosan (in a voluntary manner) · pl dobrowolnie (in a voluntary manner) · it volontariamente (in a voluntary manner) · et vabatahtlikult (in a voluntary manner) · es voluntariamente (in a voluntary manner) · nl vrijwillig (in a voluntary manner) · pl ochotniczo (in a voluntary manner) · oc volontàriament (in a voluntary manner) · de freiwillig (in a voluntary manner) · gl voluntariamente (in a voluntary manner) · eo memvole (in a voluntary manner) · pl nieprzymuszenie (in a voluntary manner)