spontaneous

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(spŏn-tā'nē-əs) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated.
  2. Arising from a natural inclination or impulse and not from external incitement or constraint.
  3. Unconstrained and unstudied in manner or behavior.
  4. Growing without cultivation or human labor.

[From Late Latin spontāneus, of one's own accord, from Latin sponte.]

spontaneously spon·ta'ne·ous·ly adv.
spontaneousness spon·ta'ne·ous·ness n.

SYNONYMS   spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive, involuntary, automatic. These adjectives mean acting, reacting, or happening without apparent forethought or prompting. Spontaneous applies to what arises naturally rather than resulting from external constraint or stimulus: "The highest and best form of efficiency is the spontaneous cooperation of a free people" (Woodrow Wilson). Impulsive refers to the operation of a sudden urge or feeling not governed by reason: Buying a car was an impulsive act that he immediately regretted. Instinctive implies behavior that is a natural consequence of membership in a species. The term also applies to what reflects or comes about as a result of a natural inclination or innate impulse: Helping people in an emergency seems as instinctive as breathing. Involuntary refers to what is not subject to the control of the will: "People drew in their breath with involuntary surprise and suspense" (Harriet Beecher Stowe). Automatic implies an unvarying mechanical response or reaction: She accepted the subpoena with an automatic "thank you."


Roget's Thesaurus:

spontaneous

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adjective

  1. Acting or happening without apparent forethought, prompting, or planning: automatic, impulsive, instinctive, involuntary, reflex, unpremeditated. See planned/unplanned.
  2. Done by one's own choice: free, uncompelled, unforced, volitional, voluntary, willful. See willing/unwilling.
  3. Unconstrained by rigid standards or ceremony: casual, easy, easygoing, informal, natural, relaxed, unceremonious, unrestrained. Informal laid-back. See plain/fancy, tighten/loosen.

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adj

Definition: impulsive, willing
Antonyms: calculated, deliberate, forced, intended, planned, premeditated

Word Tutor:

spontaneous

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Happening or arising without apparent external cause. Also: Said or done without having been planned or written in advance.

pronunciation We are all born charming, fresh, and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society. — Judith Martin

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Having no apparent external cause.

  • s. abortion — most animal abortions are spontaneous in contradistinction to the surgically and medically procured abortions of humans. See also mismating, parturition induction.
  • avian s. cardiomyopathy — an idiopathic disease of 1 to 4 week old turkey poults causing sudden death or a brief period of dyspnea; the heart is visibly dilated.
  • s. internal hemorrhage — causes sudden death in most cases; causes include cardiac tamponade, aortic or atrial rupture, splenic rupture.
  • s. pulmonary arteriopathy — see aelurostrongylus.
  • s. regression — when diseases resolve themselves without outside assistance.
  • s. virus encephalitis — so called because the disease appears without the subject animal coming in contact with a known encephalitogenic agent. In most instances the occurrence is eventually explained by the presence of a hitherto unknown virus.
Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'spontaneous'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to spontaneous, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Spontaneous.
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Spontaneous


Misspellings:

spontaneous

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Common misspelling(s) of spontaneous

  • spontanous

Translations:

Spontaneous

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - spontan, umiddelbar, frivillig, uvilkårlig, af egen indskydelse, selv-

Nederlands (Dutch)
spontaan

Français (French)
adj. - spontané

Deutsch (German)
adj. - spontan

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αυθόρμητος, εθελοντικός, εκούσιος, (για κίνηση, ύφος κ.λπ.) ανεπιτήδευτος, (φυτολ.) αυτογενής

Italiano (Italian)
spontaneo

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - espontâneo

Русский (Russian)
самопроизвольный, стихийный, спонтанный, добровольный, непроизвольный, непосредственный, дикорастущий

Español (Spanish)
adj. - espontáneo

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - spontan, frivillig, utan yttre påverkan, naturlig

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
自发的, 无意识的, 不由自主的, 非出于强制的, 自然的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 自發的, 無意識的, 不由自主的, 非出於強制的, 自然的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 자연스러운, 야생의, (현상 따위가) 자연히 일어나는

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 自然に起こる, 自発的な, 無意識的な, 自然発生的な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) عفوي, تلقائي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מאליו, מרצונו החופשי, מתוך אינסטינקט, צומח/פועל ללא התערבות של גורם חיצוני, טבעי (סגנון), ספונטני‬


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