done, made, brought about, undertaken, etc., of one's own accord or by free choice: a voluntary contribution.
of, relating to, or acting in accord with the will: voluntary cooperation.
of, relating to, or depending on voluntary action: voluntary hospitals.
Law.
acting or done without compulsion or obligation.
done by intention, and not by accident: voluntary manslaughter.
made without valuable consideration: a voluntary settlement.
Physiology. subject to or controlled by the will.
having the power of willing or choosing: a voluntary agent.
proceeding from a natural impulse; spontaneous: voluntary laughter.
noun,pluralvol·un·tar·ies.
something done voluntarily.
a piece of music, frequently spontaneous and improvised, performed as a prelude to a larger work, especially a piece of organ music performed before, during, or after an office of the church.
Origin of voluntary
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin voluntārius, equivalent to volunt(ās) willingness, inclination (ultimately representing a formation with -tās-ty2 on the present participle of velle to want, wish; see will1, -ent) + -ārius-ary
1. See deliberate. 7. Voluntary,spontaneous agree in applying to something that is a natural outgrowth or natural expression arising from circumstances and conditions. Voluntary implies having given previous consideration, or having exercised judgment: a voluntary confession; a voluntary movement; The offer was a voluntary one. Something that is spontaneous arises as if by itself from the nature of the circumstances or condition: spontaneous applause, combustion, expression of admiration.
With the country in the midst of a pandemic, policy makers and public health experts have proposed voluntary mail-in voting as one way for Americans to safely vote in November.
Another 12,500 employees have retired and 11,000 are taking a voluntary leave of absence for the month of October—meaning that American expects to cut a total of 40,000 employees from a workforce that numbered 140,000 at the start of the pandemic.
American Airlines announces plan to cut 19,000 jobs—unless Congress extends pandemic aid|Maria Aspan|August 25, 2020|Fortune
“They’re looking under the couch cushions for every megawatt hour in the West but aren’t willing to pay for someone’s voluntary action,” he says.
Here’s how to keep California’s grid from buckling under the heat|James Temple|August 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
This bill would require anyone who operates a contact tracing app to collaborate with public health officials, make app use voluntary and prevent commercial use of data collected by the apps.
Readers ask about antibody tests, chimeras and public health and privacy|Science News Staff|July 26, 2020|Science News
Humans For Humanity is a non profit, voluntary organisation run by a 25 year old social worker, Anurag Chauhan who is working on a project called WASH – Women Sanitation Hygiene from 2015.
Menstruation Comes With Innumerable Taboos In India|LGBTQ-Editor|May 29, 2020|No Straight News
Our world is in so many ways more based on voluntary exchange than ever before.
Relax—Both Parties Are Going Extinct|Nick Gillespie|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Non-GMO Project, on the other hand, provides a voluntary way for manufacturers to declare themselves GMO free.