involuntary actions
Uncontrolled body movements
Involuntary actions are bodily processes or movements that occur without conscious control or intention.
Breathing, heartbeat, digestion, and reflexes like blinking happen automatically.
The term distinguishes these from voluntary actions you choose to perform: Flinching at a loud noise is involuntary.
In legal contexts, involuntary can describe acts done under duress or without intent.
- blinkRapid lid movement
- eye twitchInvoluntary eyelid movement
- heartbeatRhythmic cardiac contraction
- heart flutterIrregular heartbeat sensation
- sucklingUnweaned infant mammal
tremors · muscle twitch · sneeze · chorea · fight-or-flight response · dystonia · peristalsis · stuttering · nervous tic · breathing · seizures · cough · sleepwalking · digestion · pupil dilation · spasms · tics · vasodilation
- criminal defensesinsanity plea, insanity defense, legal insanity, diminished capacity, mental incapacity
involuntary, involuntarily, voluntary, voluntarily, volunteer, volunteered, volunteering, volunteers, voluntarism