How to Use involuntary in a Sentence

involuntary

adjective
Definition of involuntarynext
Synonyms for involuntarynext
  • When the door burst open, she let out an involuntary shriek.
  • The lawyer argued that the client's confession was involuntary.
  • Breathing and circulation are involuntary processes.
  • And that could mean more of them — involuntary ones — in the future.
    — Deanna Pai, Allure, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Frontier had the worst record on involuntary bumping last year, the study says.
    — Sean P. Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, 8 May 2023
  • He would not be paid again, but his involuntary work would help pave the way toward a new life in Europe.
    — Kenneth R. Rosen, The New Republic, 26 Apr. 2022
  • How much does an involuntary turnover rate of more than 100% (the lower end of turnover in retail and fast food) cost a company?
    — Ulrich Atz, Fortune, 10 May 2023
  • If the position of girl online is involuntary, does that make all of us its victims?
    — Alex Quicho, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023
  • The brain is able to control all of its daily actions—both voluntary and involuntary—through the work of its nerve cells or neurons.
    — Patti Greco, Health, 11 Feb. 2023
  • Keep in mind, though, involuntary bumping is very rare.
    — Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 31 May 2023
  • Most people have had hiccups, an involuntary spasm of the muscles of breathing.
    — Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 1 Apr. 2022
  • Brown, who is now forty-five, was an involuntary celebrity before she was born, and is still pursued by news crews from as far away as Uzbekistan.
    — Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Simply put, one of the hallmark features of FND is that patients feel their symptoms are involuntary.
    — Z Paige L’erario, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Most startling of the signs of life after death are involuntary movements mediated by the spinal cord.
    — Jeremy N. Smith, Discover Magazine, 25 Nov. 2022
  • Both conditions — the noise and the sensitivity to the noise — are involuntary.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2023
  • Brooks and Roberson are also charged with a second count of involuntary servitude.
    — Phil Helsel, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2022
  • That said, Coleman looks forward to putting his involuntary viral-video-star days behind him.
    — Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2022
  • Even after the city clarified the mistake, people fumed over social media about the involuntary wake-up call.
    — Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2022
  • The Bee asked county spokeswoman Mott how many people had been referred into the involuntary treatment process.
    — Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024
  • Just 11 months ago, the 18-year-old faced daily struggles with involuntary tics and outbursts that forced him into isolation.
    — David Begnaud, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2023
  • Those patients have been deemed a danger to themselves or others and have been ordered to involuntary treatment at the hospital.
    — oregonlive, 16 Nov. 2022
  • Believe it or not, voters in five states are going to be asked whether slavery and/or involuntary servitude should be abolished too.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 18 Sep. 2022
  • As his three-year enlistment was about to end, he was hit with a stop-loss order, an involuntary extension of active duty.
    — Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
  • It’s in the middle of this list with a relatively low number of voluntary and involuntary bumping.
    — cleveland, 5 June 2022
  • Life happens and with it, there are plenty of involuntary ways an owner exits a company.
    — Gerry Spitzer, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
  • The condition can cause painful muscle spasms and involuntary stiffness.
    — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Many states have laws in place that allow for involuntary outpatient treatment.
    — Theara Coleman, The Week, 6 Dec. 2022
  • The Texas freeze last February caused the worst involuntary energy blackout⁠ in US history.
    — Jacques Leslie, Wired, 19 Mar. 2022
  • Disfluencies are involuntary disruptions in the normal flow of speech that can help us bide our time, collect our thoughts or self-correct.
    — cleveland, 6 Apr. 2022
  • The involuntary homeless are the quiet, hidden ones, who deserve our attention and our resources.
    — Blake Apgar, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Aug. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'involuntary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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