spontaneous

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin spontāneus.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /spɒnˈteɪ.ni.əs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /spɑnˈteɪ.ni.əs/
• Rhymes: -eɪniəs

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

spontaneous (comparative more spontaneous, superlative most spontaneous)

1. Self-generated; happening without any apparent external cause.

   Synonym: autonomous

   He made a spontaneous offer of help.

   a make spontaneous decision

2. Done by one's own free choice, or without planning.

   Synonym: autonomous

3. Proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external or conscious constraint.

   Synonym: autonomous

4. Arising from a momentary impulse.
5. Controlled and directed internally; self-active; spontaneous movement characteristic of living things.
6. Produced without being planted or without human cultivation or labor.
   • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, chapter 106, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume IV, London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:

     H]e persisted in his design; and, because he would not make his wants known, actually subsisted for several days on hips, haws and sloes, and other spontaneous fruits which he gathered in the woods and fields.

7. Sudden, without warning.

   Synonyms: abrupt, precipitous, subitaneous; see also Thesaurus:sudden

Derived terms

• spontaneity
• spontaneous abortion
• spontaneous combustion
• spontaneous fission
• spontaneous generation
• spontaneous human combustion
• spontaneously
• spontaneous pneumothorax

Translations

self generated; happening without any apparent external cause

Assamese: স্বতঃস্ফুৰ্ট (sotohsphurt) Bulgarian: самопроизво́лен (samoproizvólen) Catalan: espontani (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 自发的 Czech: spontánní (cs) Dutch: spontaan (nl) Esperanto: spontanea, spontana (eo) Finnish: spontaani (fi) French: spontané (fr), volontaire (fr) Galician: ventureiro (gl) German: spontan (de) Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) (afthórmitos), εθελοντικός (el) (ethelontikós) Ancient: αὐτόματος (autómatos) Hungarian: spontán (hu) Italian: spontaneo (it) Latin: spontāneus Macedonian: спо́нтан (spóntan) Malay: spontan Norwegian: Bokmål: spontan (no) Nynorsk: spontan Polish: spontaniczny (pl), samorzutny (pl) (physics, chemistry) Portuguese: espontâneo (pt) Romanian: spontan (ro) Russian: спонта́нный (ru) (spontánnyj), самопроизво́льный (ru) (samoproizvólʹnyj) Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh) Spanish: espontáneo (es) Swedish: spontan (sv) Tagalog: kusa (tl) Turkish: kendiliğinden (tr), spontan (tr) Ukrainian: спонта́нний (spontánnyj), мимові́льний (mymovílʹnyj)

done by one's own free choice, or without planning

Bulgarian: спонтанен (bg) (spontanen) Czech: spontánní (cs) Finnish: spontaani (fi), oma-aloitteinen (fi), omaehtoinen French: spontané (fr) Galician: espontáneo (gl) German: spontan (de) Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) (afthórmitos), αβίαστος (el) (avíastos) Hungarian: spontán (hu) Italian: spontaneo (it) Latin: extemporālis Macedonian: добро́волен (dobróvolen) Polish: spontaniczny (pl) Portuguese: espontâneo (pt) Romanian: spontan (ro) Russian: доброво́льный (ru) (dobrovólʹnyj) Scottish Gaelic: saor-thoileach Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh) Swedish: spontan (sv)

proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint

Assamese: সহজাত (xohozat) Bulgarian: непринуден (bg) (neprinuden) Catalan: espontani (ca) Czech: spontánní (cs) French: spontané (fr) Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) (afthórmitos), πηγαίος (el) (pigaíos), ενστικτώδης (el) (enstiktódis) Macedonian: непри́нуден (neprínuden) Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh) Spanish: espontáneo (es) Swedish: spontan (sv)

arising from a momentary impulse

Bulgarian: спонтанен (bg) (spontanen) Catalan: espontani (ca) Czech: impulzivní Finnish: impulsiivinen (fi) French: impulsif (fr) Greek: παρορμητικός (el) (parormitikós), αυθόρμητος (el) (afthórmitos) Macedonian: спо́нтан (spóntan) Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh), ȉmpulzīvan (sh) Spanish: espontáneo (es) Swedish: spontan (sv)

controlled and directed internally

French: réflexe (fr) Greek: ακούσιος (el) (akoúsios) Swedish: reflexmässig (sv)

produced without being planted or without human labor

Bulgarian: естествен (bg) (estestven) Finnish: luonnollinen (fi) French: indigène (fr), endémique (fr) Galician: ventureiro (gl) Macedonian: при́роден (príroden)

not apparently contrived or manipulated

Finnish: spontaani (fi) French: naturel (fr), spontané (fr) Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) (afthórmitos), φυσικός (el) (fysikós)

random — see random

sudden, without warning

Bulgarian: внезапен (bg) (vnezapen) Finnish: yllättävä (fi), äkillinen (fi) French: soudain (fr) Greek: ξαφνικός (el) (xafnikós) Hungarian: spontán (hu) Norwegian: Bokmål: plutselig (no) Nynorsk: plutseleg Persian: خود جوش، داوطلبانه، ناگهانی

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: (please verify) spontaan (nl) Spanish: (please verify) espontáneo (es)