involuntary
involuntary — adjective
- involuntarypositive
- more involuntarycomparative
- most involuntarysuperlative
1. happening or done because you are put in a position where you have no real choic
happening or done because you are put in a position where you have no real choice, not because you freely want to do it.
After the factory closed, over two hundred workers faced involuntary unemployment.
collocation: involuntary unemployment
Obi was placed on involuntary leave while the company investigated the complaint.
collocation: involuntary leave
Diya signed the agreement, but it was an involuntary decision made under financial pressure.
The court ruled that the confession was involuntary because the police had threatened the suspect.
Many countries have passed laws that ban involuntary servitude in all forms.
- forced
more general and common; can describe actions, situations, or changes
- compulsory
stronger emphasis on legal or official requirement; used for rules, military service, education
- unwilling
focuses on the person's attitude rather than the situation; describes the person, not the action
用法筆記
Frequently used before abstract nouns describing situations or conditions (unemployment, leave, servitude, manslaughter) that are imposed rather than chosen.
常見錯誤
2. relating to a movement or physical process that your body does on its own, witho
relating to a movement or physical process that your body does on its own, without you deliberately making it happen.
When a cold breeze hit her face, Apinya let out an involuntary gasp.
adjective before noun: involuntary + [body reaction noun]
The doctor tapped Kabir's knee to check whether his involuntary reflexes were working.
collocation: involuntary reflex
Breathing is mostly involuntary, continuing even when you are fast asleep.
Walid felt an involuntary shiver run down his back as he entered the cold room.
Sumin's hand made an involuntary movement toward the hot stove before she pulled it back.
- automatic
broader; can describe machines and habits, not just body functions
- reflex
used as an adjective or noun; specifically describes a fast, unthinking body response
- unconscious
stronger; means the person is unaware of the action or movement
- voluntary
done by conscious choice, as in voluntary muscle control
- deliberate
done on purpose, with clear intention
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (NOT BY CHOICE): this sense describes a physical reflex or automatic body process that cannot be mentally overridden, whereas sense 1 describes a situation or action imposed by external forces. Common with nouns for body reactions: gasp, shiver, reflex, movement, twitch, blink.