What does "volition" mean?
A conscious choice or decision.
Volition
/vəˈlɪʃ(ə)n/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A conscious choice or decision.
- Grammar: volition is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: will, agential action, agentiality, alternativity.
- Useful contrasts: social forcing, social obligation, state coercion.
- Usage evidence: I very much hope that I did not pressure him, but that he came with us of his own volition.
How to use "volition"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "volition" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "volition" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "volition" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "volition" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "volition" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "will" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "volition", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A conscious choice or decision. countable, uncountable
"[…] And as the Understanding doth at once apprehend it as Good Abſolutely, or in ſome Reſpect, and Evil in other reſpects, and Comparatively a Leſs Good; ſo doth the Will at once continue to Love or Will it ſo farre as it is Apprehended as Good, and to Nill and Reject it as inconſiſtent with a Greater Good, or a hinderer of it. But if it fall out that the Inconſiſtency of theſe is not diſcerned or believed, or but Imperfectly, then may the Will by a Practical Volition Will them both."
- 2 the act of making a choice wordnet
- 3 The mental power or ability of choosing; the will. countable, uncountable
"Out of all the factors that can influence a person’s decision, none can match the power of his or her own volition."
- 4 the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention wordnet
- 5 A concept that distinguishes whether or not the subject or agent intended something. countable, uncountable
"English has not one FOR TO construction but several. These several constructions are interrelated and form a chain, or rather a family, of constructions, with identical or similar components recurring in more or less similar configurations. […] The composition of this family can be represented as follows: (1) Personal volition (e.g. I want very much for Peter to be present.) (2) Volition expressed in directives (e.g. He gave orders for his family to be summoned.) (3) Impersonal (unspecified) volition (e.g. It is necessary for Peter to be present.) […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
social forcingsocial obligationstate coercioncoercively pressure students
Example
"I very much hope that I did not pressure him, but that he came with us of his own volition."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "volition"?
Common synonyms include: will, agential action, agentiality, alternativity, animus, appetence.
How do you use "volition" in a sentence?
I very much hope that I did not pressure him, but that he came with us of his own volition.
How do you pronounce "volition"?
Pronounced /vəˈlɪʃ(ə)n/.
Etymology
From French volition, from Medieval Latin volitiō (“will, volition”), from Latin volō (“to wish; to want; to mean or intend”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose; to want”)) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns relating to some action or the result of an action) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-tis (suffix forming abstract or action nouns from verbs)).