Dictionary Definition
spontaneous adj
1 happening or arising without apparent external
cause; "spontaneous laughter"; "spontaneous combustion"; "a
spontaneous abortion" [syn: self-generated]
[ant: induced]
2 said or done without having been planned or
written in advance; "he made a few ad-lib remarks" [syn: ad-lib, unwritten]
3 produced without being planted or without human
labor; "wild strawberries" [syn: wild]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
spontaneus, from sponte of one's free will, voluntarily.Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -eɪniəs
Adjective
- Self generated; happening without
any apparent external cause.
- He made a spontaneous offer of help.
- Done by one's own free choice, or without planning.
- proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint
- arising from a momentary impulse
- controlled and directed internally : self-active : spontaneous movement characteristic of living things
- produced without being planted or without human labor : indigenous
- not apparently contrived or manipulated : natural
- Random.
- Sudden, without warning.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Self generated; happening without any apparent
external cause
- Finnish: spontaani
- German: spontan
- Polish: spontaniczny
Done by one's own free choice, or without
planning
- Finnish: spontaani, oma-aloitteinen
- German: spontan
proceeding from natural feeling or native
tendency without external constraint
arising from a momentary impulse
- Finnish: impulsiivinen
controlled and directed internally
produced without being planted or without human
labor
not apparently contrived or manipulated
Random
Sudden, without warning
Extensive Definition
Spontaneous means a self-generated event,
typically requiring no outside influence or help.
The word spontaneous may also refer to:
spontaneous in German: Spontaneität
spontaneous in Russian: Спонтанность
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
ad lib, arbitrary, automated, automatic, automatous, autonomous, bat, baton, billy, billy club, bludgeon, casual, club, cybernated, discretional, discretionary, elective, extemporaneous, extempore, free, free will, gratuitous, gut, ill-advised, ill-considered,
ill-devised, immediate, impetuous, impromptu, improvised, impulsive, inadvertent, indeliberate, independent, inherent, innate, instinctive, instinctual, involuntary, libidinal, mace, mechanical, natural, nightstick, nonmandatory, off the cuff,
offered, offhand, optional, proffered, reflex, reflexive, self-acting,
self-active, self-adjusting, self-closing, self-controlled,
self-cooking, self-determined, self-determining, self-directed,
self-directing, self-dumping, self-governed, self-governing,
self-lighting, self-operative, self-regulative, self-starting,
self-winding, self-working, semiautomatic, simple, snap, spontoon, spur-of-the-moment,
subliminal, truncheon, unadvised, unannounced, unasked, unbesought, unbidden, uncalculated, uncalled-for,
uncoerced, uncompelled, unconscious, unconsidered, unconstrained, undeliberate, undeliberated, undesigned, unforced, unguarded, uninfluenced, unintended, unintentional, uninvited, unlearned, unmeditated, unplanned, unpremeditated, unprepared, unpressured, unprompted, unrehearsed, unrequested, unrequired, unsolicited, unsophisticated,
unsought, unstudied, unthinking, unwilled, unwitting, voluntary, volunteer, willful