Velleity
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The lowest degree of desire or volition; a total lack of effort to act. countable, uncountable
"Rousseau showed through life a singular proneness for being convinced by his own eloquence; he was always his own first convert; and this reconciles his power as a writer with his weakness as a man. He and all like him mistake emotion for conviction, velleity for resolve, the brief eddy of sentiment for the midcurrent of ever-gathering faith in duty that draws to itself all the affluents of conscience and will, and gives continuity and purpose to life."
- 2 volition in its weakest form wordnet
- 3 A slight wish not followed by any effort to obtain. countable, uncountable
"All were born late enough to breathe the atmosphere of the new poetry young; all had poetical velleities, and a certain amount, if not of originality, of capacity to write poetry. But they were not poets; they were only poetical curiosities."
- 4 a mere wish, unaccompanied by effort to obtain wordnet
Example
More examples"Rousseau showed through life a singular proneness for being convinced by his own eloquence; he was always his own first convert; and this reconciles his power as a writer with his weakness as a man. He and all like him mistake emotion for conviction, velleity for resolve, the brief eddy of sentiment for the midcurrent of ever-gathering faith in duty that draws to itself all the affluents of conscience and will, and gives continuity and purpose to life."
Etymology
From Medieval Latin velleitās, from Latin velle (“wish, will”).
More for "velleity"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.