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voluntary, adj., adv., & n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary Skip to main content Factsheet Etymology Meaning & use Pronunciation Forms Frequency Compounds & derived words Dictionary Historical Thesaurus Factsheet Quotations Hide all quotations Factsheet What does the word voluntary mean? There are 41 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word voluntary , ten of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. voluntary has developed meanings and uses in subjects including physiology (Middle English) music (mid 1500s) military (late 1500s) law (early 1600s) plants (early 1600s) literature (late 1600s) education (mid 1700s) weaponry (late 1700s) horses and riding (1860s) nautical (1860s) religion (1890s) Entry status OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised. See meaning & use How common is the word voluntary ? About 20 occurrences per million words in modern written English 1750 21 1760 19 1770 21 1780 24 1790 25 1800 24 1810 22 1820 24 1830 24 1840 23 1850 21 1860 19 1870 19 1880 19 1890 18 1900 16 1910 18 1920 17 1930 18 1940 20 1950 20 1960 22 1970 22 1980 20 1990 19 2000 17 2010 17 See frequency What is the etymology of the word voluntary ? voluntary is of multiple origins. Either a borrowing from French . Or a borrowing from Latin . Etymons: French voluntaire ; Latin voluntārius . See etymology What is the earliest known use of the word voluntary ? Earliest known use Middle English The earliest known use of the word voluntary is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for voluntary is from around 1400, in Lanfranc's Cirurgie . See meaning & use How is the word voluntary pronounced? British English /ˈvɒl(ə)nt(ə)ri/ VOL-uhn-tuh-ree U.S. English /ˈvɑlənˌtɛri/ VAH-luhn-tair-ee See pronunciation Nearby entries voluntariate, n. 1881– voluntarily, adv. c1374– voluntariness, n. 1612– voluntarious, adj. 1532 voluntariously, adv. 1550–53 voluntarism, n. 1838– voluntarist, n. & adj. 1841– voluntaristic, adj. 1903– voluntarity, n. 1794–1819 voluntarly, adv. c1568–1649 voluntary, adj., adv., & n. c1400– voluntaryism, n. 1835– voluntaryist, n. 1842– voluntary manslaughter, n. 1625– voluntary simplicity, n. 1917– voluntative, adj. & n. 1656– volunteer, n. & adj. a1618– volunteer, v. 1755– volunteering, n. 1691– volunteerism, n. 1844– volunteerly, adv. 1715 Browse more nearby entries Etymology Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content. 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View our subscription options Personal account Access or purchase personal subscriptions Get our newsletter Save searches Set display preferences Sign in Register Institutional access Sign in through your institution Sign in with library card Sign in with username / password Recommend to your librarian Institutional account management Sign in as administrator on Oxford Academic Entry history for voluntary, adj., adv., & n. voluntary, adj., adv., & n. was first published in 1920; not fully revised. voluntary, adj., adv., & n. was last modified in March 2026. Revision of the OED is a long-term project, and oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Entries which have not been fully revised may include partial interim updates, including: corrections and revisions to definitions, especially to improve clarity, accuracy, or intelligibility; new or updated quotation evidence, and reverified or redated bibliographical information; new or updated pronunciations (transcriptions and audio files); new or revised etymological information and improved coverage of variant spellings; new senses or phrases added in print and online updates since OED2 (1989). Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into voluntary, adj., adv., & n. in March 2026. Earlier versions of this entry were published in: OED First Edition (1920) Find out more OED Second Edition (1989) Find out more View voluntary, a., adv., and n. in OED Second Edition Cite Permanent link: Chicago 18 Oxford English Dictionary , “ ,” , . Copy to clipboard Copied to clipboard MLA 9 “ ” Oxford English Dictionary , Oxford UP, , . Copy to clipboard Copied to clipboard APA 7 Oxford University Press. (n.d.). In Oxford English dictionary . Retrieved , from Copy to clipboard Copied to clipboard Select format to download citation .ris (Papers, Zotero) .enw (EndNote) .txt (RefWorks) Download Contribute Please submit your feedback for voluntary, adj., adv., & n. Please include your email address if you are happy to be contacted about your feedback. OUP will not use this email address for any other purpose. Section (required) Factsheet Etymology Meaning & use Pronunciation Forms Frequency Compounds & derived words Other Feedback (required) Submit Citation details Factsheet for voluntary, adj., adv., & n. Browse entry Nearby entries voluntariate, n. 1881– voluntarily, adv. c1374– voluntariness, n. 1612– voluntarious, adj. 1532 voluntariously, adv. 1550–53 voluntarism, n. 1838– voluntarist, n. & adj. 1841– voluntaristic, adj. 1903– voluntarity, n. 1794–1819 voluntarly, adv. c1568–1649 voluntary, adj., adv., & n. c1400– voluntaryism, n. 1835– voluntaryist, n. 1842– voluntary manslaughter, n. 1625– voluntary simplicity, n. 1917– voluntative, adj. & n. 1656– volunteer, n. & adj. a1618– volunteer, v. 1755– volunteering, n. 1691– volunteerism, n. 1844– volunteerly, adv. 1715 Browse more nearby entries