volition
noun
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When you do something of your own volition, you do it voluntarily, which makes sense—both volition and voluntary ultimately come from the Latin velle, meaning “to wish” or “to will.” English speakers borrowed volition from French in the 17th century, using it at first to mean “an act of choosing,” a meaning Herman Melville employed in Moby-Dick (1851): “Almost simultaneously, with a mighty volition of ungraduated, instantaneous swiftness, the White Whale darted through the weltering sea.” By then, however, the word had also developed an additional meaning, “the power to choose,” which is now more common.
Synonyms
Examples of volition in a Sentence
Hanna Park, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024
Indeed, what is happening might be better explained by the field of mimetic theory, which recognizes that imitation can drive decisions, stressing the role of volition and social learning in human arrangements.
—Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024
Crushes often emerge of their own volition, as if out of nowhere, or some unseen force, and land on the recipient like an unforeseen weather event.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2024
The Hong Kong firm eventually sold the two buildings to Vornado Realty Trust, a big New York real-estate outfit, and Trump, through no volition of his own, ended up with a minority stake in a Vornado-run partnership that became one of his most valuable assets.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near volition
Cite this Entry
“Volition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volition. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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