volition
vuh-LISH-un
/vəˈlɪʃ.ən/
The act or power of using one's own will to make a conscious choice or decision.
Emphasizes the internal psychological act of choosing without outside compulsion.
The story behind the word. From Medieval Latin 'volitio', originating from classical Latin 'velle' (to wish). It entered early modern English to describe the specific mental act of willing.
Word relationships
- choice: Choice refers to the option selected, while volition emphasizes the conscious mental power used to choose.
- coercion: Coercion is action forced by outside pressure, whereas volition is unforced internal will.
Commonly confused with
- violation: Violation means breaking a law or rule, whereas volition means exercising free choice.
Word family
- volitional (adjective): Relating to or done by an act of will.
- volitionally (adverb): By means of conscious choice.
Collocations
- own volition
- exercise volition
- act of volition
Idioms & expressions
- of one's own volition
Example sentences
- "The suspect walked into the police station of his own volition to explain what had happened." Legal proceeding
Memory hook
VOLITION sounds like VOLUNTEER—a volunteer acts purely of their own volition. Willed from within.
When not to use
Do not use to describe reflexive, automatic, or unconscious reactions.
Fun facts
- The Latin root 'volo' also gave English 'benevolent' (wishing good) and 'malevolent' (wishing evil).
Related words
Explore more words
autonomy, impulsive, authenticity, make a decision, freedom, deliberate
Also appears in
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.