spontaneous
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
done or said in a natural way without being planned first.
arising from a momentary impulse or natural feeling rather than premeditation.
Simple“We made a spontaneous decision to go to the beach since the weather was so beautiful.”
In context“The crowd broke into spontaneous applause as the soloist finished her performance, a reaction that clearly moved the young musician.”
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
happening on its own without any outside cause or help.
occurring without apparent external influence or cause; self-generated.
Simple“The forest fire was caused by spontaneous combustion in the dry heat.”
In context“The chemical reaction was entirely spontaneous, requiring no external heat source to initiate the transformation of the compounds.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
growing or produced naturally without people planting or managing it.
produced without human cultivation, labour, or intentional planting.
Simple“The garden was filled with the spontaneous growth of local wildflowers.”
In context“The valley was noted for its spontaneous vegetation, where rare orchids flourished without any human intervention for centuries.”
Antonyms
Usage respectively spontaneous
“Kent Police, which made no arrests, described it as a "spontaneous" protest, while Mike Tapp MP said questions need to be asked around why it appeared the police "didn't know about it".”
“They want to have healthy families, and they have very high standards for what a healthy family is." Going no contact is rarely a spontaneous or easy decision.”
Learned borrowing from Late Latin spontāneus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.