Adjacent Words

Volition definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

VOLI'TION, n. [L. volitio, from volo, to will. See Will.]
1. The act of willing the act of determining choice, or forming a purpose. There is a great difference between actual volition, and approbation of judgment.
Volition is the actual exercise of the power which the mind has of considering or forbearing to consider an idea.
2. The power of willing or determining.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention; "the exercise of their volition we construe as revolt"- George Meredith [syn: volition, will]
2: the act of making a choice; "followed my father of my own volition" [syn: volition, willing]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: French, from Medieval Latin volition-, volitio, from Latin vol- (stem of velle to will, wish) + -ition-, -itio (as in Latin position-, positio position) — more at will Date: 1615 1. an act of making a choice or decision; also a choice or decision made 2. the power of choosing or determining ; will • volitional adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the exercise of the will. 2 the power of willing. Phrases and idioms: of (or by) one's own volition voluntarily. Derivatives: volitional adj. volitionally adv. volitive adj. Etymology: F volition or med.L volitio f. volo I wish

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Volition Vo*li"tion, n. [F., fr. L. volo I will, velle to will, be willing. See Voluntary.] 1. The act of willing or choosing; the act of forming a purpose; the exercise of the will. Volition is the actual exercise of the power the mind has to order the consideration of any idea, or the forbearing to consider it. --Locke. Volition is an act of the mind, knowingly exerting that dominion it takes itself to have over any part of the man, by employing it in, or withholding it from, any particular action. --Locke. 2. The result of an act or exercise of choosing or willing; a state of choice. 3. The power of willing or determining; will. Syn: Will; choice; preference; determination; purpose. Usage: Volition, Choice. Choice is the familiar, and volition the scientific, term for the same state of the will; viz., an ``elective preference.'' When we have ``made up our minds'' (as we say) to a thing, i. e., have a settled state of choice respecting it, that state is called an immanent volition; when we put forth any particular act of choice, that act is called an emanent, or executive, or imperative, volition. When an immanent, or settled state of, choice, is one which controls or governs a series of actions, we call that state a predominant volition; while we give the name of subordinate volitions to those particular acts of choice which carry into effect the object sought for by the governing or ``predominant volition.'' See Will.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Your volition is the power you have to decide something for yourself. (FORMAL) We like to think that everything we do and everything we think is a product of our volition... = free will 2. If you do something of your own volition, you do it because you have decided for yourself that you will do it and not because someone else has told you to do it. (FORMAL) Makin said Mr Coombes had gone to the police of his own volition. = voluntarily PHRASE: PHR after v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Will, choice, preference, option, discretion, determination, free-will, free-agency, power of willing, purpose, elective preference. 2. Act of willing, act of determining, exercise of the will.

Moby Thesaurus

alternativity, animus, appetence, appetency, appetite, choice, choosing, co-optation, co-option, command, conation, conatus, decision, desire, determination, discretion, disposition, election, fancy, first choice, free choice, free will, inclination, intention, liking, lust, mind, objective, option, passion, pick, pleasure, preference, preoption, resolution, selection, sexual desire, the pick, velleity, will, will power, wish