involuntary
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involuntary
Happening without conscious intention or control; instinctive or reflexive.
Als er die schlechte Nachricht hörte, musste er unwillkürlich schlucken.
When he heard the bad news, he had to swallow involuntarily.
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.'
Es war eine unwillkürliche Reaktion, ich wollte ihn nicht erschrecken.
It was an involuntary reaction; I didn't mean to scare him.
'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).
Beim Anblick des alten Fotos musste sie unwillkürlich lächeln.
At the sight of the old photo, she had to smile involuntarily.
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.
Er zuckte unwillkürlich zusammen, als die Tür zuschlug.
He flinched involuntarily when the door slammed shut.
conscious / deliberate
'bewusst' and 'unwillkürlich' are opposites here. 'bewusst' means that someone does something intentionally and can control it. 'unwillkürlich' means that something happens without intention, often automatically, reflexively, or out of emotion. Use 'bewusst' when there is a decision behind the action. 'unwillkürlich' fits when the body or a reaction is faster than your own will.
Bei dem lauten Geräusch zuckte ich unwillkürlich zusammen.
At the loud noise, I flinched involuntarily.
Nach dem Gespräch hat die Verkäuferin bewusst freundlicher mit den Kunden gesprochen.
After the conversation, the saleswoman deliberately spoke more kindly to the customers.