Meanings
- On one's (or its) own initiative; under one's (or its) own power, without being commanded or controlled; of one's own volition.
[O]n mine ovvne accord, Ile off, / But firſt, Ile do my errand.
c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 284, column 25 more examples
But thankes bee to God which put the ſame earneſt care into the heart of Titus for you. For indeed he accepted the exhortation, but being more forward, of his owne accord he went vnto you.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 8:16–17, column 2He feeds on fruits, vvhich, of their ovvn accord, / The vvilling Ground, and laden Trees afford.
1697, Virgil, “The Tenth Pastoral. Or, Gallus.”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 92, lines 715–716[T]his same car of justice, which he finds it so hard to put in motion on some occasions, can on others run fast enough down hill of its own accord, dragging his reluctant self backwards along with it, […]
1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter VII, in Rob Roy. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 163And yet I didn't mean to do anything very wrong, and when I did meet him I wouldn't as much as let him take me by the hand;—not of my own accord.
1860 July – 1861 June (date written), Anthony Trollope, “The Angel of Light under a Cloud”, in Orley Farm. […], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1862, →OCLC, page 59Depend on it, Marilla, she'll cool off in a week or so and be ready enough to go back of her own accord, that's what, while, if you were to make her go back right off, dear knows what freak or tantrum she'd take next and make more trouble than ever.
1908 June, L[ucy] M[aud] Montgomery, “A Tempest in the School Teapot”, in Anne of Green Gables, Boston, Mass.: L[ouis] C[oues] Page & Company, published August 1909, →OCLC, pages 165–166Synonyms: at one's own instigation, autonomously, mero motu, off one's own bat, on one's own bat, spontaneously, under one's own steam
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseOn one's (or its) own initiative; under one's (or its) own power, without being commanded or controlled; of one's own volition.
Origin
PIE word *ḱérd From accord (“spontaneous or voluntary impulse to act”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek αὐτόθεν
- αὐτόθεν (autóthen)on one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Chinese Mandarin 自願 /自愿
- 自願 /自愿 (zìyuàn)on one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Dutch goedschiks, op eigen houtje
- goedschikson one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- op eigen houtjeon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- eigener bewegingon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Finnish omin luvin, vapaaehtoisesti
- omin luvinon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- vapaaehtoisestion one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
French de sa propre initiative, de son propre chef
- de sa propre initiativeon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- de son propre chefon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
German auf eigene Faust
- auf eigene Fauston one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Icelandic af sjálfsdáðum, að fyrra bragði
- af sjálfsdáðumon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- að fyrra bragðion one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- óbeðinnon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- sjálfviljuguron one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Irish as do stuaim féin, de dheoin
- as do stuaim féinon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- de dheoinon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- de do dheoin féinon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- de do leontaíl féinon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- de do leointe féinon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Italian da sé, di propria iniziativa
- da séon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- di propria iniziativaon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Japanese 自発的
- 自発的 (jihatsuteki)on one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Polish na własne życzenie, z dobrej i nieprzymuszonej woli
- na własne życzenieon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- z dobrej i nieprzymuszonej wolion one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- z własnej i nieprzymuszonej wolion one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- z własnej wolion one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Russian доброво́льно, по со́бственной во́ле
- доброво́льно (dobrovólʹno)on one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- по со́бственной во́ле (po sóbstvennoj vóle)on one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- по со́бственному жела́нию (po sóbstvennomu želániju)on one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Swedish av sig själv, på eget bevåg
- av sig självon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- på eget bevågon one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- självmanton one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Ukrainian доброві́льно, з вла́сної во́лі
- доброві́льно (dobrovílʹno)on one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
- з вла́сної во́лі (z vlásnoji vóli)on one’s (or its) own initiative — see also autonomously
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with of one's own accord
Cite this entry
of one's own accord. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/of%20one's%20own%20accord
“of one's own accord.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/of%20one's%20own%20accord. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “of one's own accord,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/of%20one's%20own%20accord.
Source: of one's own accord on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.