[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/involuntary/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [I](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/i/) / involuntary

# involuntary

adjective

«involuntary» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Involuntary means done without meaning to or without control, like a sneeze or a shiver. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/involuntary/#m1)
2. (formal) Done against someone's will: «involuntary redundancy». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/involuntary/#m2)

### In the lessons

Used in science (involuntary muscles like the heart, involuntary reflexes) and formal writing. It tells the reader an action was not chosen.

### Examples

- Blinking is often involuntary. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/involuntary/#x1)
- The heart is an involuntary muscle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/involuntary/#x2)
- She gave an involuntary shiver. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/involuntary/#x3)
- Sneezing is an involuntary reflex. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/involuntary/#x4)
- His involuntary laugh made everyone giggle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/involuntary/#x5)
- Hiccups are involuntary. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/involuntary/#x6)

### Note

Opposite: voluntary. «An involuntary» (vowel sound). Adverb: involuntarily. In science, reflexes protect you, like pulling your hand from a hot pan.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «involuntary» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/involuntary/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«involuntary» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/involuntary.html) on Mova free.