spontaneous

adjective spon·ta·ne·ous \ spän-ˈtā-nē-əs \

Updated on: 22 Nov 2017

Definition of spontaneous

1 : proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint

2 : arising from a momentary impulse

3 : controlled and directed internally : self-acting

spontaneous movement characteristic of living things

4 : produced without being planted or without human labor : indigenous

5 : developing or occurring without apparent external influence, force, cause, or treatment

6 : not apparently contrived or manipulated : natural

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spontaneously

adverb

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spontaneousness

noun

See spontaneous defined for English-language learners

See spontaneous defined for kids

spontaneous was our Word of the Day on 10/02/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of spontaneous in a Sentence

Shane has a lovely habit of paying us spontaneous visits: one time she brought over a jar of a pickle she'd recently put up; another time just a good story or two. —James Oseland, Saveur, December 2006
Cold viruses can damage the olfactory system directly. This loss of smell may last even after the cold is over. Sometimes the sense comes back as suddenly as it disappeared, perhaps because even as adults we generate new olfactory neurons. Spontaneous improvement might be a person's best hope, because there are no real proven treatments for reversing olfactory nerve damage. —Harvard Health Letter, September 2001
Peter Jakobsen of the European Space Agency, which built the Faint Object Camera, drew spontaneous applause at the January meeting when he showed an image of supernova SN1987A from the instrument. —Kristin Leutwyler, Scientific American, March 1994
The comment was completely spontaneous.
He's a guy who's spontaneous and fun.

Recent Examples of spontaneous from the Web

One potentially preventable cause of preterm birth is recurrent spontaneous preterm birth.

— jodi frances abbott, Washington Post, "There is medication to stop preterm births, but many women don’t get treatment," 29 Oct. 2017
The original travel restrictions, which caused confusion at U.S. ports of entry and set off spontaneous protests at airports when it was unveiled in January, led to sharp criticism of the administration from corporate leaders.

— toluse olorunnipa, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Weighs Replacing His Travel Ban With Tailored Restrictions," 22 Sep. 2017
News of Diana's fatal car crash had reached the U.K. in the middle of the night, and the response in London and throughout Great Britain was spontaneous and overwhelming.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Remembering the Floral Tribute to Princess Diana, 20 Years Later," 30 Aug. 2017
Taking suggestions from the audience, the Express Improv Players create a spontaneous children's play.

— Houston Chronicle, "Family fun: Tricks and treats, haunted houses and festivals," 25 Oct. 2017
One such instance is a wonderful, spontaneous scene shot through a shop window as Alanis and Dante play together on a showroom bed.

— jonathan holland, The Hollywood Reporter, "‘Alanis’: Film Review | San Sebastian 2017," 2 Oct. 2017
In fact, Mercurial Gemini’s most identifiable qualities are their talkative, spontaneous, and upbeat dispositions.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "What Your Zodiac Sign Says About Your Love Life and Approach to Dating," 29 Sep. 2017
The latest is Robb Derringer, Inaba’s ex-fiancé, who proposed to the 49-year-old in December at the same beach cove along the California coast where the pair shared their spontaneous and magical first date.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Dancing with the Stars Judge Carrie Ann Inaba: Her Love Ups and Downs," 14 Sep. 2017
Police staged 10 days of spontaneous demonstrations; the result was a legislative grant of a quarter-billion euros to local and national police and a review of when officers may use lethal force.

— henry grabar, New York Press Room, "France’s Ferguson," 1 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spontaneous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Spontaneous derives, via the Late Latin spontaneus, from the Latin sponte, meaning "of one's free will, voluntarily," and first appeared in English in the mid-17th century. Thomas Hobbes was an early adopter: he wrote that "all voluntary actions … are called also spontaneous, and said to be done by man's own accord" in his famous 1656 The Questions Concerning Liberty, Necessity, and Chance. Today the word is more often applied to things done or said in a natural and often sudden way, without a lot of thought or planning—or to people who do or say things in such a way.

Origin and Etymology of spontaneous

Late Latin spontaneus, from Latin sponte of one's free will, voluntarily

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1653

See Words from the same year

spontaneous Synonyms

Synonyms

instinctive, instinctual, involuntary, knee-jerk, mechanic, mechanical, robotic, automatic

Antonyms

nonmechanical

Near Antonyms

calculated, conscious, cultivated, deliberate, designed, intended, intentional, predetermined, prepared, projected, refined, rehearsed, volitional, voluntary, willed, willful (or wilful); advised, aforethought, careful, considered, foresighted, forethoughtful, measured, meticulous, reasoned, studied, thoughtful

Synonym Discussion of spontaneous

spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive, automatic, mechanical mean acting or activated without deliberation. spontaneous implies lack of prompting and connotes naturalness.

- a spontaneous burst of applause

impulsive implies acting under stress of emotion or spirit of the moment.

- impulsive acts of violence

instinctive stresses action involving neither judgment nor will.

- blinking is an instinctive reaction

automatic implies action engaging neither the mind nor the emotions and connotes a predictable response.

- his denial was automatic

mechanical stresses the lifeless, often perfunctory character of the response.

- a mechanical teaching method

SPONTANEOUS Defined for English Language Learners

spontaneous

adjective

Definition of spontaneous for English Language Learners

: done or said in a natural and often sudden way and without a lot of thought or planning
: doing things that have not been planned but that seem enjoyable and worth doing at a particular time

SPONTANEOUS Defined for Kids

spontaneous

adjective spon·ta·ne·ous \ spän-ˈtā-nē-əs \

Definition of spontaneous for Students

1 : done, said, or produced freely and naturally

spontaneous laughter

2 : acting or taking place without outside force or cause

a spontaneous fire

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spontaneously

adverb

Medical Dictionary

spontaneous

adjective spon·ta·ne·ous \ spän-ˈtā-nē-əs \

medical Definition of spontaneous

1 : proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint

2 : developing without apparent external influence, force, cause, or treatment

a spontaneous nosebleed

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spontaneously

adverb

Learn More about spontaneous

See words that rhyme with spontaneous Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spontaneous Spanish Central: Translation of spontaneous Nglish: Translation of spontaneous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of spontaneous for Arabic speakers

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spontaneous

Definition of spontaneous

spontaneously

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spontaneous was our Word of the Day on 10/02/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of spontaneous in a Sentence

Recent Examples of spontaneous from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of spontaneous

spontaneous Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of spontaneous

SPONTANEOUS Defined for English Language Learners

spontaneous

Definition of spontaneous for English Language Learners

SPONTANEOUS Defined for Kids

spontaneous

Definition of spontaneous for Students

spontaneously

Medical Dictionary

spontaneous

medical Definition of spontaneous

spontaneously

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