Adjective: involuntary in'vó-lun,te-ree [N. Amer], in'vó-lun-t(u-)ree [Brit]
- Not subject to the control of the will
"involuntary manslaughter"; "an involuntary shudder"; "It (becoming a hero) was involuntary. They sank my boat";
- nonvoluntary, unvoluntary [rare]
- (physiology) controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without conscious control
"involuntary muscles"; "gave an involuntary start"
See also: automatic, autonomic, driven, forced, goaded, reflex, reflexive, unconscious, unwilled, unwilling, vegetative
Antonym: voluntary
Encyclopedia: Involuntary