spontaneous adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of spontaneous adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

spontaneous

adjective
 
/spɒnˈteɪniəs/
 
/spɑːnˈteɪniəs/
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  1. not planned but done because you suddenly want to do it
    • a spontaneous offer of help
    • The audience burst into spontaneous applause.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • appear
    • be
    • seem
    adverb
    • genuinely
    • quite
    • totally
    See full entry
  2. often doing things without planning to, because you suddenly want to do them
    • Jo's a cheerful, spontaneous person, always ready for some fun.
  3. (specialist) happening naturally, without being made to happen
    • spontaneous remission of the disease
  4. done naturally, without being forced, practised or organized in advance
    • a recording of spontaneous speech
    • a wonderfully spontaneous performance of the piece
  5. Word Originmid 17th cent.: from late Latin spontaneus (from (sua) sponte ‘of (one's) own accord’) + -ous.
See spontaneous in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee spontaneous in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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