Word of the Day ·
involuntarily
in·vol·un·ta·ri·ly
UK/ɪnˈvɒləntɹɪli/US, dialectal/ɪnˌvɑlənˈtɛɹɪli/Canada, dialectal/ɪnˈvɒlənˌtɛɹɪli/Australia/ɪnˈvɔləntɹɪli/
adverb
What it means
- In an involuntary manner; done without conscious thought.
Her leg twitched involuntarily.
3 more examples
He involuntarily overheard the conversation.
His eyes filled with tears, as he took up the glittering lengths. Their pale gold was lovely as ever; but there was something in the touch from which he involuntarily recoiled.
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Last Letter”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 283Kennedy’s vocal rasp is not caused by an infection or respiratory condition. Instead, he has spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition in which the muscles that open and close his vocal cords spasm involuntarily, creating a strained or strangled quality to his speech.
2025 January 29, Sandee LaMotte, “A rare brain disorder robbed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of his strong speaking voice”, in CNN
In a sentence
Her leg twitched involuntarily.
Where it comes from
From involuntary + -ly or in- + voluntarily.
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