Meaning & use
spontaneous
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Done freely on the spur of the moment, because you felt like it, without having planned it beforehand.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a spontaneous decision; the laughter was spontaneous.
Patterns
- a spontaneous decision
- spontaneous gesture
Their spontaneous trip to the coast was the best weekend of the year.
The crowd broke into spontaneous applause.
She is a very spontaneous person and hates fixed schedules.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Happening naturally from inside or by itself, with no outside cause or push.
Grammar: Often found in science and medicine: spontaneous combustion, spontaneous recovery.
Patterns
- spontaneous combustion
- spontaneous remission
Damp hay can burst into flames through spontaneous combustion.
Doctors were surprised by the patient's spontaneous recovery.
The mutation was spontaneous and not caused by any chemical.
Word forms
| comparative | more spontaneous |
|---|---|
| superlative | most spontaneous |
Common combinations
- spontaneous decision
- It was a spontaneous decision to adopt the puppy.
- spontaneous combustion
- Oily rags can cause spontaneous combustion.
- spontaneous applause
- Spontaneous applause followed her speech.
- spontaneous reaction
- His spontaneous reaction was to laugh.
- spontaneous remission
- Spontaneous remission of the illness is rare.
Synonyms and how they differ
- impulsive
- Impulsive often suggests acting without thinking and can be criticized, while spontaneous is usually positive and natural.
- unplanned
- Unplanned simply says there was no plan, and spontaneous adds a sense of freshness and ease.
- instinctive
- Instinctive describes reactions driven by natural instinct, not necessarily by a free, unplanned choice.
- impromptu
- Impromptu is used for performances or speeches made without preparation, while spontaneous covers feelings and acts more broadly.
Opposites
Word family
- spontaneously adverb
- in an unplanned or natural way
- spontaneity noun
- the quality of acting naturally and without planning
- spontaneousness noun
- a less common noun for spontaneity
Commonly confused: spontaneous or simultaneous?
spontaneous vs simultaneous
Simultaneous means happening at the same time, while spontaneous means happening naturally without planning.
Practice
The audience gave a ____ standing ovation, which no one had arranged.
Choose one answer.
Spontaneous means unplanned and natural. Planned, rehearsed and scheduled all contradict the phrase that no one had arranged it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spontaneous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.