spontaneous

English

Etymology

Late Latin spontāneus, from Latin sponte (suā) (“of one's free will, voluntarily”).

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.

   He made a spontaneous offer of help.

2. Done by one's own free choice, or without planning.
3. Proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external or conscious constraint
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 labor; indigenous

   a spontaneous growth of wood

7. Random.
8. Sudden, without warning.

Synonyms

• (self-generated): autonomous
• (done by one's own free choice): autonomous
• (proceeding from natural feeling...): autonomous
• (sudden, without warning): abrupt, precipitous, subitaneous; see also Thesaurus:sudden

Derived terms

• spontaneity
• spontaneously

Related terms

• spontaneous combustion

Translations

self generated; happening without any apparent external cause

• Assamese: স্বতঃস্ফুৰ্ট (sotosphurt)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自发的

• Czech: spontánní
• Dutch: spontaan (nl)
• Esperanto: spontanea, spontana (eo)
• Finnish: spontaani (fi)
• French: spontané (fr), volontaire (fr)
• Galician: ventureiro
• German: spontan (de)
• Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) m (afthórmitos), εθελοντικός (el) m (ethelontikós)

  Ancient: αὐτόματος (autómatos)

• Hungarian: spontán (hu)
• Italian: spontaneo (it)
• Latin: spontāneus

• Malay: spontan
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: spontan (no)

  Nynorsk: spontan

• Polish: spontaniczny (pl) m, samorzutny (pl) m (physics, chemistry)
• Portuguese: espontâneo (pt)
• Romanian: spontan (ro) m
• 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)

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

• Czech: spontánní
• Finnish: spontaani (fi), oma-aloitteinen (fi), omaehtoinen
• French: spontané (fr)
• Galician: espontáneo m
• German: spontan (de)
• Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) m (afthórmitos), αβίαστος (el) m (avíastos)
• Hungarian: spontán (hu)
• Italian: spontaneo (it) m

• Polish: spontaniczny (pl) m
• Portuguese: espontâneo (pt)
• Romanian: spontan (ro) m
• 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)
• Czech: spontánní
• French: spontané (fr)

• Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) m (afthórmitos), πηγαίος (el) m (pigaíos), ενστικτώδης (el) m (enstiktódis)
• Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh)
• Swedish: spontan (sv)

arising from a momentary impulse

• Czech: impulzivní
• Finnish: impulsiivinen (fi)
• French: impulsif (fr)

• Greek: παρορμητικός (el) m (parormitikós), αυθόρμητος (el) m (afthórmitos)
• Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh), ȉmpulzīvan (sh)
• Swedish: spontan (sv)

controlled and directed internally

• French: réflexe (fr)
• Greek: ακούσιος (el) m (akoúsios)

• Swedish: reflexmässig

produced without being planted or without human labor

• Finnish: luonnollinen (fi)
• French: indigène (fr), endémique (fr)

• Galician: ventureiro m, ventureira f

not apparently contrived or manipulated

• Finnish: spontaani (fi)
• French: naturel (fr), spontané (fr)

• Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) m (afthórmitos), φυσικός (el) m (fysikós)

random — see random

sudden, without warning

• Finnish: yllättävä (fi), äkillinen (fi)
• French: soudain (fr)
• Greek: ξαφνικός (el) m (xafnikós)
• Hungarian: spontán (hu)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: plutselig (no) m or f or n

  Nynorsk: plutseleg m or f or n

• Persian: خود جوش، داوطلبانه، ناگهانی‎

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} spontaan (nl)

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} espontáneo (es)