1
Core manner or degree
Without conscious choice, intention, or control.
Example
Participants blinked involuntarily when the light flashed.
involuntarily
/ɪnˈvɒləntrəli/ · in-VOL-un-truh-leeadverb
Without conscious choice, intention, or control.
Use involuntarily to express this relationship precisely: without conscious choice, intention, or control.
What involuntarily Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Position and scope
Place this adverb where it clearly modifies the intended action, response, or degree.
Example
His hand moved involuntarily toward the sound.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact manner or intensity matters; nearby adverbs may change the writer's claim.
Example
The muscles contract involuntarily during the reflex.
Use involuntarily Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Participants blinked involuntarily when the light flashed.
His hand moved involuntarily toward the sound.
The muscles contract involuntarily during the reflex.
Precision Matters
Involuntarily overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
involuntarily
vs.Means without conscious choice, intention, or control.
ineluctable
Means inescapable; inevitable.
involuntarily
vs.Means without conscious choice, intention, or control.
induce
Means to cause or bring about.
involuntarily
vs.Means without conscious choice, intention, or control.
elicit
Means to evoke or draw out a response, reaction, or information.
involuntarily
vs.Means without conscious choice, intention, or control.
sway
Means influence or persuade someone to adopt a view, decision, or course of action.
Test involuntarily in Context
Their movement happened automatically rather than by deliberate choice.
1
When the sudden noise occurred, several participants ___ turned toward the door.