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 Subpoenas demanding testimony before a grand jury in that false statements probe were issued in spring, then abruptly withdrawn in favor of voluntary interviews. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 Casinos offer voluntary self-exclusion programs for compulsive gamblers; birth plans allow devotees of natural labor to deny their future selves an epidural. — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 For instance, my company partnered with a chemical manufacturer to develop a voluntary N2O abatement project. — Bill Flederbach, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026 Colonizers call it voluntary emigration, but there is nothing voluntary about fleeing after your home has been bombed, your fields poisoned, your water cut off and your child buried. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 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

The optional app usually picks appealing but innocuous images of travel scenes and animals as daily wallpapers on Windows PC desktops.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
Case codes to justify a search, previously optional, will be mandatory, and the audit log will be upgraded so that Flock can detect abnormal search patterns and block those users.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of optional

Adjective

More generally, the movie, directed by Elegance Bratton, is about the historical context of this murder, the conscious and organized effort by white Southern citizens and officials to intimidate, persecute, and subjugate Black people.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Devin Oktar Yalkin About PhotoVogue PhotoVogue is a global Condé Nast initiative dedicated to supporting artists and shaping a more conscious visual culture.

— Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of conscious

Adjective

When Russians discovered karaoke, thousands of venues sprang up, from cheap sushi joints to lavish establishments where an orchestra and backup singers accompanied anyone willing to step onto the stage and, for a few minutes, feel like a star.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Surround yourself with people willing to challenge your conclusions.

— Nick Leighton, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of willing

Adjective

There were two small red stripes on a sail, clearly deliberate but out of place.

— John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Talking at the film’s press conference in Venice earlier, Moretti said his absence from from the festival had not been a deliberate slight but rather down to the timing for the shoots of his films.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of deliberate

Adjective

The company says the plant could provide roughly 400 MW of electrical power without the risk of plasma disruptions, supporting its intended role as a source of baseload energy.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026
Instead of only asking whether malware was detected, ask whether a user’s behavior changed, a workload is communicating somewhere unusual, large amounts of data are moving unexpectedly or an AI agent is operating outside its intended scope.

— Scott Alldridge, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of intended

Adjective

Working in a creative field only strengthened Hayley’s desire to make every element of the celebration feel intentional rather than checking off a list of wedding customs.

— Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
While Triump hasn't formally commented on the revisions, the intentional placement speaks for itself.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of intentional

Adjective

Some of Thomas’s critique appeared to be aimed at weak-willed conservatives, including his fellow-Justices, for being, as Thomas perceives it, too spineless to stand up for the ideals enshrined in the Declaration.

— Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
Meanwhile, gracious but iron-willed family matriarch Claudine works tirelessly behind the scenes to hush up family scandals.

— Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 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 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of voluntary

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