1
as in accidental
not made or done willingly or by choice
my long stays on the sidelines during our football games were strictly involuntary
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in automatic
done instantly and without conscious thought or decision
breathing is involuntary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in compulsory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
the abolition of involuntary servitude by civilized society
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of involuntary
Doctors placed him on an involuntary psychiatric hold.
—
Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Future studies should test voluntary vs involuntary retirement and longer follow-up periods.
—New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
Her case and other similar ones led to vital changes in Argentina’s mental health laws, which now bans the involuntary admission of people to such institutions.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
Two of the more common involuntary interventions offered by APS are guardianship and nursing home placement.
—Nina A. Kohn, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for involuntary
Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Future studies should test voluntary vs involuntary retirement and longer follow-up periods.
—New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
Her case and other similar ones led to vital changes in Argentina’s mental health laws, which now bans the involuntary admission of people to such institutions.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
Two of the more common involuntary interventions offered by APS are guardianship and nursing home placement.
—Nina A. Kohn, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for involuntary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for involuntary
Adjective
-
The Power of Good Love Since the accidental confession, the couple has moved in together and their relationship has flourished.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
However, Ledger tragically died of an accidental overdose before the film's release.—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Idaho Transportation Department uses automatic traffic counters along the highway to calculate the average number of vehicles each day.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Customers who do not qualify for the automatic payouts will have to wait until after the first payout.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The problem arises when implicit or explicit pressures make either covering or uncovering feel compulsory—so the aim is to restore agency, letting employees decide for themselves without penalty.—
Tia Katz,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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The campaign faces a tight deadline, but veto referendums have been successful in Missouri as recently as 2017, when labor unions successfully organized to defeat a right-to-work law that would have banned compulsory union fees.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
My photos from Sleepwalking are spontaneous, and coincidence is very important to keep my curiosity alive and to look out for narratives.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The Harlem Renaissance was filled with poetry and song—and with performance, as enshrined in Greaves’s footage which features many spontaneous, thrillingly theatrical recitations of poems by Bontemps, Hughes, Cullen, and McKay.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Driving through deep water can also affect a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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By overcoming these hurdles, the researchers significantly improved both the mechanical stability and electromagnetic performance of the magnet.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The district would have mandatory training programs for all AI users, including students, teachers and staff.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Sep. 2025
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The federal Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs are considered mandatory spending, meaning benefits won’t be impacted if the government shuts down.—
Jordan Green,
Nashville Tennessean,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Indeed, the answer to the question Alan Sparks raised about what happens to all of the money flowing through the county government is one that even local authorities are unable, or unwilling, to answer.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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Anybody, whether on the left or the right, who is unwilling to accept the possibility that their own views may be wrong, has no more than a shallow commitment to freedom of opinion and expression.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The reflex trade was a textbook Fed-easing play to rotate out of big, expensive growth stocks and into lower-quality, more cyclical small-caps and financials .—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
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There are varying depths of coma, however, and some people may still have some reflex responses.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Involuntary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/involuntary. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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