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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
The word robot comes from the Czech word ‘robota’ which meant involuntary servitude, something very close to slavery, says Novakova.
—
Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
If the employer initiates it, it’s treated as involuntary — which means the six-day rule applies.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
Though parts of the amendment have been used in limited circumstances, the clause allowing involuntary removal has never been invoked.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
That month Kelley also claimed she was placed under a second involuntary hold that lasted a week.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for involuntary
Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
If the employer initiates it, it’s treated as involuntary — which means the six-day rule applies.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
Though parts of the amendment have been used in limited circumstances, the clause allowing involuntary removal has never been invoked.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
That month Kelley also claimed she was placed under a second involuntary hold that lasted a week.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for involuntary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for involuntary
Adjective
-
Siri has been making accidental phone calls for us since 2012.—
Gelila,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Warner died unexpectedly in July from an accidental drowning in Costa Rica.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But those ninth innings had started to become less automatic, and Counsell trusts relievers such as Brad Keller (Friday’s eighth-inning guy) and Andrew Kittredge (Friday’s closer) in just about any situation.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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That includes supporting a ban on semiautomatic automatic weapons and high capacity magazines.—
Mark Vancleave,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The new subject remains non-compulsory, but Screen Scotland hopes the appetite shown in pilots will drive wide adoption.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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The 90-day window for lodging a challenge is tight, 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.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Mid-century collective behavior theories considered social movements to be nonrational, spontaneous events occurring during moments of social and cultural breakdown.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Sep. 2025
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This bill would entrench West Oakland and many other neighborhoods across the state as sacrifice zones, forcing us to deal with toxic chemicals and spontaneous fires for the sake of corporate profits.—
Brian Beveridge,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Rather than employ mechanical changes to his swing, the Twins thought moving free and easy would simply allow Jenkins to attack more of the zone.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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While quartz has served the industry well for decades, its sensitivity to environmental conditions, mechanical stress and aging presents challenges in demanding applications.—
Markus Lutz,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Most Americans support common-sense measures like background checks, mandatory training, licensing, restrictions on magazine size, and safe-storage rules.—
John J. Donohue,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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Florida’s state legislature needs to get involved to make other mandatory school vaccines optional,including those that protect against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, mumps and rubella.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Years of underinvestment, rising costs, and a board unwilling to confront structural issues have destroyed value.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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The church’s attorneys, for their part, said in their latest filing that the victims’ side appears unwilling to negotiate.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Beyond that, though, the history of the past couple of years shows that NVDA's stock move isn't a reliable directional driver of the broad tape beyond the reflex reaction.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Involuntary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/involuntary. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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