Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of making a choice or decision; the power of choosing or determining: "Volition" refers to the faculty or power of using one's will to make a conscious choice or decision.
   • A conscious or deliberate decision or wish: It can also denote the specific act or instance of willing, choosing, or resolving.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • She left the company of her own volition. (She left by her own choice, not because she was forced.)
  • The exercise of human volition is a complex psychological process. (The use of human willpower and choice is a complex process.)
  • He signed the document of his own volition. (He signed it willingly and independently.)

Advanced Usage

• "Of one's own volition": This is the most common phrase using "volition." It means voluntarily, by one's own free will, without external pressure or coercion.
  • The witness came forward of her own volition.
• In philosophical and psychological contexts, "volition" is often discussed in relation to free will, intention, and the mental processes behind voluntary action.

Variants and Related Words

• Volitional (adj): Relating to or done by the use of one's will.
  • A volitional act.
• Volitive (adj): (Less common) Of or relating to the will.

Synonyms

• Will: The faculty by which a person decides on and initiates action.
• Choice: The act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities.
• Determination: Firmness of purpose; the quality of being resolute.
• Agency: The capacity of an individual to act independently and make free choices.

Antonyms

• Coercion: The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.
• Compulsion: The action or state of forcing or being forced to do something; constraint.
• Involuntariness: The state of being done without will or conscious control.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Of one's own free will": A common synonym for "of one's own volition," meaning voluntarily.
• "Against one's will": An antonymic phrase, meaning contrary to one's desire or choice.

Noun

1. the act of making a choice
   • followed my father of my own volition
2. the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention
   • the exercise of their volition we construe as revolt- George Meredith