unwillkürlich
involuntary
Happening without conscious intention or control; instinctive or reflexive.
EXAMPLE
Als er die schlechte Nachricht hörte, musste er unwillkürlich schlucken.
When he heard the bad news, he had to swallow involuntarily.
unwillkürlich
involuntary
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is made up of the prefix 'un-' (not) and 'willkürlich' (voluntary, intentional). So 'unwillkürlich' (involuntary/involuntarily) literally means 'not out of one's own will.'
EXAMPLE
Es war eine unwillkürliche Reaktion, ich wollte ihn nicht erschrecken.
It was an involuntary reaction; I didn't mean to scare him.
Typical collocations
'Unwillkürlich' (involuntary/involuntarily) is almost always combined with verbs that describe a spontaneous physical or emotional reaction. Typical examples are: 'unwillkürlich lächeln' (to smile involuntarily), 'unwillkürlich zusammenzucken' (to flinch involuntarily), or 'unwillkürlich an etwas denken' (to involuntarily think of something).
EXAMPLE
Beim Anblick des alten Fotos musste sie unwillkürlich lächeln.
At the sight of the old photo, she had to smile involuntarily.
Use in a sentence
Most often, 'unwillkürlich' (involuntarily) is used as an adverb that describes the action of the verb more precisely. However, it can also stand directly before a noun as an adjective.
EXAMPLE
Er zuckte unwillkürlich zusammen, als die Tür zuschlug.
He flinched involuntarily when the door slammed shut.
Compare with
unwillkürlich vs automatisch
automatic
Both words can describe a reaction without conscious control. „Unwillkürlich“ emphasizes that the person does not trigger the reaction intentionally. „Automatisch“ can also refer to a learned or inevitable reaction without particularly emphasizing the lack of intention. Use „unwillkürlich“ when there is no intention and „automatisch“ when focusing on the process.
unwillkürlich
Als sie die traurige Nachricht hörte, liefen ihr unwillkürlich die Tränen über das Gesicht.
When she heard the sad news, tears involuntarily ran down her face.
automatisch
Wenn ich morgens den Wecker höre, greife ich automatisch nach dem Handy.
When I hear the alarm in the morning, I automatically reach for my phone.
In real life
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