INVOLUNTARY


Meaning of INVOLUNTARY in English

(ˈ)in, ən+ adjective

Etymology: Late Latin involuntarius, from Latin in- in- (I) + voluntarius voluntary

1.

a. : springing from accident or impulse rather than conscious exercise of the will : unintentional , spontaneous

an involuntary inheritance from her rich and backward husband — Nigel Dennis

concentration became at first effortless, then involuntary , then necessitous — Charles Morgan

b. : dictated by authority or circumstance : compulsory

involuntary servitude

involuntary unemployment

c. of bankruptcy : declared upon petition of creditors

2. : not subject to control of the will : independent of volition : reflex

involuntary contraction

involuntary weeping

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.