Involuntary

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈvɑləntɛri/

Definitions of involuntary

adjective involuntary - done without will or conscious control

Example Sentences

A1 Blinking is an involuntary action.

A2 Sneezing is often an involuntary response to irritants.

B1 The patient experienced involuntary muscle contractions.

B2 The involuntary twitching of his eye was a sign of stress.

C1 The involuntary reflexes of the body can be controlled with practice.

C2 The involuntary movements of the dancer were mesmerizing to watch.

Examples of involuntary in a Sentence

formal The patient experienced involuntary muscle spasms due to the medication.

informal She couldn't control her involuntary laughter during the serious meeting.

slang My leg started doing this involuntary twitch thing, it was so weird.

figurative His involuntary reaction to the news spoke volumes about his true feelings.

Grammatical Forms of involuntary

• past tense: involuntarily
• plural: involuntaries
• comparative: more involuntary
• superlative: most involuntary
• present tense: involuntary
• future tense: will be involuntary
• perfect tense: has been involuntary
• continuous tense: is being involuntary
• singular: involuntary
• positive degree: involuntary
• infinitive: to involuntarily
• gerund: involuntarily
• participle: involuntary

Origin and Evolution of involuntary

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'involuntary' originated from the Latin word 'involuntarius', which is derived from the prefix 'in-' meaning 'not' and 'voluntarius' meaning 'voluntary'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'involuntary' has retained its original meaning of 'not voluntary' but has also come to be used in legal contexts to describe actions or behaviors that are not done by choice or intention.