spontaneous

spontaneous
[[t]spɒnte͟ɪniəs[/t]]
1) ADJ-GRADED Spontaneous acts are not planned or arranged, but are done because someone suddenly wants to do them.

Diana's house was crowded with happy people whose spontaneous outbursts of song were accompanied by lively music...

I joined in the spontaneous applause.

Derived words:
spontaneously ADV-GRADED usu ADV with v, also ADV adj

As soon as the tremor passed, many people spontaneously arose and cheered...

He was never spontaneously warm or friendly towards us.

2) ADJ A spontaneous event happens because of processes within something rather than being caused by things outside it.

I had another spontaneous miscarriage at around the 16th to 18th week.

...a spontaneous explosion.

Derived words:
spontaneously ADV ADV after v

Usually a woman's breasts produce milk spontaneously after the birth...

These images surface spontaneously in dreams.


English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:

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  • Spontaneous — means a self generated event, typically requiring no outside influence or help.The word spontaneous may also refer to:* Spontaneous abortion * Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis * Spontaneous combustion * Spontaneous emission * Spontaneous fission …   Wikipedia

  • Spontaneous — Spon*ta ne*ous (sp[o^]n*t[=a] n[ e]*[u^]s), a. [L. spontaneus, fr. sponte of free will, voluntarily.] 1. Proceeding from natural feeling, temperament, or disposition, or from a native internal proneness, readiness, or tendency, without… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spontaneous — 1 Spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive, automatic, mechanical in application to persons or their movements, acts, and utterances mean acting or activated without apparent thought or deliberation. Spontaneous can describe whatever is not affected… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • spontaneous — I adjective discretional, discretionary, elective, extemporal, extemporaneous, extemporary, extempore, free, free willed, impetuous, impromptu, improvisatorial, improvised, impulsive, indeliberate, independent, natural, optional, rash, self… …   Law dictionary

  • spontaneous — 1650s, from L.L. spontaneus willing, of one s free will, from L. (sua) sponte of one s own accord, willingly; of unknown origin. Related: Spontaneously. Earliest use is of persons and characters. Spontaneous combustion first attested 1795.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • spontaneous — [spän tā′nē əs] adj. [LL spontaneus < L sponte, of free will < IE base * (s)pen(d) , to pull > SPIN] 1. acting in accordance with or resulting from a natural feeling, impulse, or tendency, without any constraint, effort, or premeditation …   English World dictionary

  • spontaneous — [adj] impulsive, willing ad lib*, automatic, break loose, casual, down, extemporaneous, extempore, free, free spirited, from the hip*, impetuous, impromptu, improvised, inevitable, instinctive, involuntary, irresistible, natural, offhand, off the …   New thesaurus

  • spontaneous — ► ADJECTIVE 1) performed or occurring as a result of an unpremeditated impulse and without external stimulus. 2) open, natural, and uninhibited. 3) (of a process or event) occurring without apparent external cause. 4) Biology (of movement or… …   English terms dictionary

  • spontaneous — 01. The crowd burst into [spontaneous] applause when the Queen appeared on the balcony. 02. Thousands of people [spontaneously] poured into the streets of the capital to celebrate after the victory of the national soccer team in the World Cup. 03 …   Grammatical examples in English

  • spontaneous — adjective 1) a spontaneous display of affection Syn: unplanned, unpremeditated, unrehearsed, impulsive, impetuous, unstudied, impromptu, spur of the moment, extempore, extemporaneous; unforced, voluntary, unconstrained, unprompted, unbidden,… …   Thesaurus of popular words

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