How to Use involuntary in a Sentence

involuntary

adjective
  • When the door burst open, she let out an involuntary shriek.
  • The lawyer argued that the client's confession was involuntary.
  • Breathing and circulation are involuntary processes.
  • And that could mean more of them — involuntary ones — in the future.
    Deanna Pai, Allure, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Frontier had the worst record on involuntary bumping last year, the study says.
    Sean P. Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, 8 May 2023
  • He would not be paid again, but his involuntary work would help pave the way toward a new life in Europe.
    Kenneth R. Rosen, The New Republic, 26 Apr. 2022
  • The 26-year-old took a mostly involuntary break of 10 months from racing last year.
    Jen Murphy, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2021
  • How much does an involuntary turnover rate of more than 100% (the lower end of turnover in retail and fast food) cost a company?
    Ulrich Atz, Fortune, 10 May 2023
  • One in eight of all renters in the city experienced some kind of involuntary move every two years.
    Mike Gousha and John D. Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8 July 2021
  • Later, McBroom swayed and rocked through the songs and prayers of the service, the involuntary movements of unimaginable loss.
    Washington Post, 8 July 2021
  • If the position of girl online is involuntary, does that make all of us its victims?
    Alex Quicho, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023
  • The brain is able to control all of its daily actions—both voluntary and involuntary—through the work of its nerve cells or neurons.
    Patti Greco, Health, 11 Feb. 2023
  • Nora speaks her mind the way others breathe: an involuntary reflex, not a choice.
    Deborah Copaken, The Atlantic, 25 July 2021
  • Keep in mind, though, involuntary bumping is very rare.
    Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 31 May 2023
  • Most people have had hiccups, an involuntary spasm of the muscles of breathing.
    Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 1 Apr. 2022
  • As a boy, Ben developed an involuntary tic around 4 or 5 years old.
    Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Nov. 2021
  • This often leads to involuntary loss of urine very quickly.
    Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 12 Nov. 2021
  • Phoenix's letter received the support of PETA, who criticized the park's actions and called for the end of the bears' involuntary role in show business.
    Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 3 Aug. 2021
  • The girl does that uncomfortable giggle, that involuntary laugh-spasm Corinne has tried so hard to train out of herself.
    Rebecca Makkai, Harper's Magazine, 17 Aug. 2021
  • Brown, who is now forty-five, was an involuntary celebrity before she was born, and is still pursued by news crews from as far away as Uzbekistan.
    Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Simply put, one of the hallmark features of FND is that patients feel their symptoms are involuntary.
    Z Paige L’erario, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Most startling of the signs of life after death are involuntary movements mediated by the spinal cord.
    Jeremy N. Smith, Discover Magazine, 25 Nov. 2022
  • Both conditions — the noise and the sensitivity to the noise — are involuntary.
    Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2023
  • Brooks and Roberson are also charged with a second count of involuntary servitude.
    Phil Helsel, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2022
  • Rights groups have likened it to an island jail and said some relocations were involuntary.
    Reuters, CNN, 24 Nov. 2021
  • But, the Baskins should not be forced to be involuntary participants in this endeavor through the unauthorized use of the film footage.
    Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2021
  • By contrast, among the top 10% of earners, only 10% of exits were involuntary.
    Star Tribune, 21 July 2021
  • The number of involuntary part-time workers has increased in recent months.
    Alicia Wallace, CNN, 4 July 2024
  • But those drugs can cause serious motor and metabolic side effects, like involuntary movements and weight gain that can lead to heart disease and diabetes.
    Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 30 Sep. 2024
  • Antipsychotics can cause weight gain, drowsiness, metabolic syndrome, which can increase risk of heart attack or stroke, or involuntary movements such as blinking or sticking out your tongue.
    Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'involuntary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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