voluntary

adjective

ˈvä-lən-ˌter-ē How to pronounce voluntary (audio)
Definition of voluntarynext
1
as in volunteer
done, made, or given with one's own free will a voluntary contribution to the school's fund-raising drive

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in optional
subject to one's freedom of choice participation in the resort's recreational activities is strictly voluntary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in conscious
made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing the legal distinctions between voluntary and involuntary manslaughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word voluntary different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of voluntary are deliberate, intentional, and willing. While all these words mean "done or brought about of one's own will," voluntary implies freedom and spontaneity of choice or action without external compulsion.

a voluntary confession

Where would deliberate be a reasonable alternative to voluntary?

While the synonyms deliberate and voluntary are close in meaning, deliberate implies full consciousness of the nature of one's act and its consequences.

deliberate acts of sabotage

When is it sensible to use intentional instead of voluntary?

Although the words intentional and voluntary have much in common, intentional stresses an awareness of an end to be achieved.

the intentional concealment of vital information

When could willing be used to replace voluntary?

The synonyms willing and voluntary are sometimes interchangeable, but willing implies a readiness and eagerness to accede to or anticipate the wishes of another.

willing obedience

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of voluntary Data exists on voluntary departures and voluntary returns, which often happen at the border, Bush-Joseph said, but data on immigrants who are not in formal removal proceedings and choose to leave the country does not exist. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025 In 1997, however, an overwhelmed and underfunded FDA made the program voluntary, allowing industry to say a substance was GRAS without first providing safety data to the agency. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025 Another Fortune 100 client saw a 32% drop in voluntary departures by using the strategy hub approach. — Mick Hunt, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 Some bar owners had expressed concerns the program would be mandatory or would be used as a cudgel by the city to force changes to their businesses, but Alldredge stressed the program would be voluntary and would largely consist of things bars and restaurants already do. — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for voluntary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for voluntary
  1. volunteer
  2. optional
  3. conscious
  4. willing
  5. deliberate
  6. intended
  7. intentional
  8. willed
Adjective
  • Within the past couple of years, the group has become a part of Arrowhead Kingdom, an all-volunteer national network of Chiefs fan groups.
    — Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
  • That’s noteworthy for a show based at a high-school auditorium in Litchfield and run by a staff that is almost entirely volunteer, including the show’s star and its producer.
    — Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2022
Definition of volunteer
Adjective
  • Photo : Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby's The interior is evocative of a bygone era where toggle switches were standard and seat belts were optional.
    — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The board agreed and voted unanimously to make the class optional this coming schoolyear instead of mandatory.
    — Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of optional
Adjective
  • Your subconscious mind processes thousands of data points your conscious mind doesn't register.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Parade Budget conscious shoppers will find solace in the affordable price point and top-notch bra designs at Parade.
    — Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of conscious
Adjective
  • Apparently the Chinese government is now willing to play hardball in retaliation to Trump’s plan to levy additional duties.
    — Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Barnes was a turbulent person and Renoir was his happy place, full of pretty colors and willing flesh.
    — Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of willing
Adjective
  • Learn about your members and make deliberate introductions.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
  • But the shift was partly produced by deliberate changes to the rules, which were designed to ward off the darker side of teen glory.
    — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of deliberate
Adjective
  • Through one game, with eight more intended, his words can only be interpreted as sincere.
    — Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
  • People overreact to unfinished things that have been circulated without the intended presentation.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of intended
Adjective
  • Taking small, intentional steps to embody these qualities will solidify your brand. 3.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
  • The study published by Israeli public health experts, based on data from Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), challenges these claims, showing no evidence of famine or intentional deprivation.
    — Efrat Lachter, Fox News, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of intentional
Adjective
  • Even more than his strong, octave-surfing Ontario accent, his willed congeniality—a mix of natural reserve and a morbid aversion to pretense—spoke to something in my bones.
    — Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 14 Dec. 2023
  • Read: The changing sound of male rage in rock music Underscoring his willed isolation is the fact that Fight Club intentionally seems to take place nowhere.
    — Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
Definition of willed

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Cite this Entry

“Voluntary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/voluntary. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.

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