INVOLUNTARY • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Involuntary

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/ɪnvˈɑləntˌɛri/ Listen

adjective

Involuntary adj.

Not having will or the power of choice.

Not under the influence or control of the will; not voluntary; as, the involuntary movements of the body; involuntary muscle fibers.

Not proceeding from choice; done unwillingly; reluctant; compulsory; as, involuntary submission.

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Etymology of 'Involuntary'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Involuntary" Quotes from Famous Books

... contrasting as it did with the small and somewhat dingy craft otherwise visible above the bridge, gave a new direction to Rebecca's thoughts and forced from her an almost involuntary exclamation. ...

— The Panchronicon • Harold Steele Mackaye

... is better than an involuntary one," Francis remarked. "What was his usual programme when he left ...

— The Evil Shepherd • E. Phillips Oppenheim

... by the successive improvements of the gallery, once so bare, came by degrees to a condition of involuntary envy. He wished he could possess that apartment, so thoroughly in keeping with the gravity of ecclestiastical life. The passion increased from day to day. Working, sometimes for days together, in this retreat, the vicar could appreciate the silence and the peace that reigned there. During the following ...

— The Celibates - Includes: Pierrette, The Vicar of Tours, and The Two Brothers • Honore de Balzac

... clod; Not thine the pantheist raving, that because God dwelleth with thee, thou thyself art God. Bethink thee—is't self-reverence that o'erawes Thy prostrate soul, and from thy faltering tongue, Subdued, involuntary homage draws? And when by harrowing pang thine heart is wrung, Is't for self-aid thy wandering eyes inquire, Heavenward, at length, in fervid suppliance flung? And from thy native slough of sensual mire, Is't to the mark of thine own purity Thy loftier aims and ...

— Old-Fashioned Ethics and Common-Sense Metaphysics - With Some of Their Applications • William Thomas Thornton

... he became aware of the presence of a young lady upon the fence—perhaps it was to him a somewhat startling one: then, when he noted how she was engaged, a smile broke gradually over his countenance. He once made a movement to advance, then restrained himself and waited; but some involuntary rustle of the branches above him or twigs under his feet revealed him. Nora gave a little involuntary cry, dropped her looking-glass, and colored crimson with vexation at finding that ...

— A True Friend - A Novel • Adeline Sergeant

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