Involuntary

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Involuntary \In*vol"un*ta*ry\, a. [L. involuntarius. See {In-}
     not, and {Voluntary}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. Not having will or the power of choice.
        [1913 Webster]
  


     2. Not under the influence or control of the will; not
        voluntary; as, the involuntary movements of the body;
        involuntary muscle fibers.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Not proceeding from choice; done unwillingly; reluctant;
        compulsory; as, involuntary submission. Involute

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  involuntary
       adj 1: not subject to the control of the will; "involuntary
              manslaughter"; "involuntary servitude"; "an
              involuntary shudder"; "It (becoming a hero) was
              involuntary. They sank my boat"- John F.Kennedy [syn:
              {nonvoluntary}, {unvoluntary}] [ant: {voluntary}]
       2: controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without
          conscious control; "involuntary muscles"; "gave an
          involuntary start" [ant: {voluntary}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  79 Moby Thesaurus words for "involuntary":
     at odds, automatic, averse, binding, blind, casual, compulsive,
     compulsory, conditioned, cursory, dictated, differing, disagreeing,
     disinclined, disobedient, forced, fractious, gut, ill-advised,
     ill-considered, ill-devised, imperative, impulsive, inadvertent,
     indeliberate, indisposed, indocile, inevitable, inherent, innate,
     instinctive, instinctual, libidinal, mandatory, mechanical,
     mutinous, natural, necessary, obligatory, opposed, perfunctory,
     recalcitrant, reflex, reflexive, refractory, required, resistant,
     snap, spontaneous, subliminal, sulky, sullen, unadvised,
     uncalculated, unconscious, unconsenting, unconsidered,
     uncontrollable, uncontrolled, undeliberate, undeliberated,
     undesigned, unguarded, unguided, unintended, unintentional,
     unlearned, unmeant, unmeditated, unplanned, unpremeditated,
     unprompted, unpurposed, unstudied, unthinking, unthought-of,
     unwilled, unwilling, unwitting
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  INVOLUNTARY. An involuntary act is that which is performed with constraint, 
  (q. v.) or with repugnance, or without the will to do it. An action is 
  involuntary then, which is performed under duress. Wolff, Sec. 5. Vide 
  Duress.