VOLUNTARY Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'voluntary' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of voluntary are deliberate , intentional , and willing . While all these words mean "done or brought about of one's own will," voluntary implies freedom and spontaneity of choice or action without external compulsion. // a voluntary confession

Q: Where would 'deliberate' be a reasonable alternative to 'voluntary'?

While the synonyms deliberate and voluntary are close in meaning, deliberate implies full consciousness of the nature of one's act and its consequences. // deliberate acts of sabotage

Q: When is it sensible to use 'intentional' instead of 'voluntary'?

Although the words intentional and voluntary have much in common, intentional stresses an awareness of an end to be achieved. // the intentional concealment of vital information

Q: When could 'willing' be used to replace 'voluntary'?

The synonyms willing and voluntary are sometimes interchangeable, but willing implies a readiness and eagerness to accede to or anticipate the wishes of another. // willing obedience

voluntary

adjective

ˈvä-lən-ˌter-ē

Definition of voluntary

as in volunteer

done, made, or given with one's own free will a voluntary contribution to the school's fund-raising drive

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in optional

subject to one's freedom of choice participation in the resort's recreational activities is strictly voluntary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in conscious

made, given, or done with full awareness of what one is doing the legal distinctions between voluntary and involuntary manslaughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word voluntary different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of voluntary are deliberate, intentional, and willing. While all these words mean "done or brought about of one's own will," voluntary implies freedom and spontaneity of choice or action without external compulsion.

a voluntary confession

Where would deliberate be a reasonable alternative to voluntary?

While the synonyms deliberate and voluntary are close in meaning, deliberate implies full consciousness of the nature of one's act and its consequences.

deliberate acts of sabotage

When is it sensible to use intentional instead of voluntary?

Although the words intentional and voluntary have much in common, intentional stresses an awareness of an end to be achieved.

the intentional concealment of vital information

When could willing be used to replace voluntary?

The synonyms willing and voluntary are sometimes interchangeable, but willing implies a readiness and eagerness to accede to or anticipate the wishes of another.

willing obedience

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of voluntary The next phase will hinge on whether collective bargaining and changes to the commercial relationships between brands and suppliers can move wages where voluntary factory-level programs have struggled to do so. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026 And, also last week, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, xAI, and Nvidia signed a voluntary White House pact that commits them to partnering with independent external auditors. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026 Ford Motor Company is funding the $194 million Cold Creek Solar Park through its enrollment in DTE’s voluntary CleanVision MIGreenPower program. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026 The voluntary intoxication loophole means a person may be too impaired to make a meaningful choice and still fall outside the law’s protections for incapacity. — Ilana Turko, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for voluntary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for voluntary

Adjective

Within the past couple of years, the group has become a part of Arrowhead Kingdom, an all-volunteer national network of Chiefs fan groups.

— Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
That’s noteworthy for a show based at a high-school auditorium in Litchfield and run by a staff that is almost entirely volunteer, including the show’s star and its producer.

— Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2022

Definition of volunteer

Adjective

Leaders who work around their own systems, who skip time sheets or approve scopes without reading them, are training their entire team that the systems are optional.

— Drew McLellan, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Voting in Brazil is compulsory for most citizens ages 18 to 70 and optional for 16- and 17-year-olds, people over age 70, and people who cannot read or write.

— Katie Angell Britannica Editors Oct. 2, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of optional

Adjective

Going into the referendum, both Goodfriend and Fortich are conscious of the fact that affordability is on people’s minds — and that another high-profile property tax question, Florida’s Amendment 3, is on their ballots.

— Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
Witnesses reported that Pike complained of pain in her arm and remained conscious after the first dose.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of conscious

Adjective

Audiences are more willing than ever to consume and accept differentiated content – look at the success of phenomena such as Obsession and Backrooms.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
For weddings, big celebrations, or private dinners for couples willing to pay the price, events and meals can be organized by the hotel inside the Château.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of willing

Adjective

Thomas defenders maintained that slow-motion replays and freeze frames made an accidental collision appear deliberate.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
While the same anthropologists also emphasize that some hunter-gatherers are very unequal and that equality takes deliberate effort, the prevailing impression is that equality characterizes hunter-gatherers, past and present.

— Christopher von Rueden, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of deliberate

Adjective

That capability matters underwater, where currents and other disturbances can gradually push vehicles away from their intended course.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
This work should produce current-state, transitional and intended-state maps.

— Dr. Timothy J. Giardino, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of intended

Adjective

Originally unveiled at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show and put into production in 2005, the Bugatti Veyron was a moonshot project essentially willed into existence by Ferdinand Piëch.

— Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026
Anyone who has a negative reaction to this is a weak-willed loser who has ZERO idea how bad Texan has become and is more than likely complicit in selling out our state.

— Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of willed

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voluntarily

voluntary

volunteer

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“Voluntary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/voluntary. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of voluntary

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