involuntariness
Lacking conscious control
Involuntariness is the quality of being involuntary—not under conscious control or not done by choice.
The word appears in legal, medical, and philosophical contexts: The defense argued for the involuntariness of his confession.
A muscle twitch has involuntariness; so does a gasp of surprise.
The term emphasizes that will or intention played no part.
Not done on purpose
- inadvertentDone without intention
- unplannedNot arranged beforehand
- unpremeditatedWithout advance planning
- unintendedNot done on purpose
unwitting · accidental · mistake · oversight · error · slip · lapse · blunder
Involuntary stimulus response
- heartbeatRhythmic cardiac contraction
- breathingPulmonary gas exchange
- blinkRapid lid movement
- sneezeExplosive nasal reflex
shiver · yawn · gag · twitch · digestion · pupil dilation · startle · flinch
Irresistible urge to act
- obligationRequired task or commitment
- constraintLimiting condition or rule
- force majeureExtraordinary event excusing performance
- mandateFormal authoritative directive
duress · conscription · coercion · subjugation · servitude · compliance · submission · imposition
unintentional
Not done on purpose
- inadvertentDone without intention
- unplannedNot arranged beforehand
- unpremeditatedWithout advance planning
unintended · unwitting · accidental · mistake · oversight · error · slip · lapse · blunder · gaffe
reflex
Involuntary stimulus response
sneeze · shiver · yawn · gag · twitch · digestion · pupil dilation · startle · flinch · hiccup
compulsion
Irresistible urge to act
- obligationRequired task or commitment
- constraintLimiting condition or rule
- force majeureExtraordinary event excusing performance
mandate · duress · conscription · coercion · subjugation · servitude · compliance · submission · imposition · bondage
involuntarinessvoluntariness
State of acting freely
willfulness · deliberateness · intentionality · volition · purposefulness
involuntarinesswillingness
Openness to act
consent · eagerness · readiness · acquiescence · cooperation
involuntarinessvoluntariness
State of acting freely
freedom · liberty · autonomy · self-governance · independence
volunteer, voluntary, volition, malevolence, involuntary, benevolence, voluntarily, involuntarily, voluntariness