DIVISION (I) INDIVIDUAL VOLITION
SECTION I. VOLITION IN GENERAL
1. Acts of Volition
#600. Will.—N. will, volition, conation[obs3], velleity; liberum arbitrium[Lat]; will and pleasure, free will; freedom &c. 748; discretion; option &c. (choice) 609; voluntariness[obs3]; spontaneity, spontaneousness; originality. pleasure, wish, mind; desire; frame of mind &c. (inclination) 602; intention &c. 620; predetermination &c. 611; selfcontrol &c. determination &c. (resolution) 604; force of will. V. will, list; see fit, think fit; determine &c. (resolve) 604; enjoin; settle &c. (choose) 609; volunteer. have a will of one's own; do what one chooses &c. (freedom) 748; have it all one's own way; have one's will, have one's own way. use one's discretion, exercise one's discretion; take upon oneself, take one's own course, take the law into one's own hands; do of one's own accord, do upon one's own authority; originate &c. (cause) 153. Adj. voluntary, volitional, willful; free &c. 748; optional; discretional, discretionary; volitient[obs3], volitive[obs3]. minded &c. (willing) 602; prepense &c. (predetermined) 611[obs3]; intended &c. 620; autocratic; unbidden &c. (bid &c. 741); spontaneous; original &c. (casual) 153; unconstrained. Adv. voluntarily &c. adj.; at will, at pleasure; a volonte[Fr], a discretion; al piacere[It]; ad libitum, ad arbitrium[Lat]; as one thinks proper, as it seems good to; a beneplacito[It]. of one's won accord, of one's own free will; proprio motu[Lat], suo motu[Lat], ex meromotu[Lat]; out of one's own head; by choice &c. 609; purposely &c. (intentionally) 620; deliberately &c. 611. Phr. stet pro ratione voluntas[Lat]; sic volo sic jubeo[Lat]; a vostro beneplacito[It]; beneficium accipere libertatem est vendere[Lat]; Deus vult[Lat]; was man nicht kann meiden muss man willig leiden[Ger].
#601. Necessity.—N. involuntariness; instinct, blind impulse; inborn proclivity, innate proclivity; native tendency, natural tendency; natural impulse, predetermination. necessity, necessitation; obligation; compulsion &c. 744; subjection &c. 749; stern necessity, hard necessity, dire necessity, imperious necessity, inexorable necessity, iron necessity, adverse necessity; fate; what must be. destiny, destination; fatality, fate, kismet, doom, foredoom, election, predestination; preordination, foreordination; lot fortune; fatalism; inevitableness &c. adj.; spell &c. 993. star, stars; planet, planets; astral influence; sky, Fates, Parcae, Sisters three, book of fate; God's will, will of Heaven; wheel of Fortune, Ides of March, Hobson's choice. last shift, last resort; dernier ressort[Fr]; pis aller &c. (substitute) 147[Fr]; necessaries &c. (requirement) 630. necessarian[obs3], necessitarian[obs3]; fatalist; automaton. V. lie under a necessity; befated[obs3], be doomed, be destined &c. in for, under the necessity of; have no choice, have no alternative; be one's fate &c. n. to be pushed to the wall to be driven into a corner, to be unable to help. destine, doom, foredoom, devote; predestine, preordain; cast a spell &c. 992; necessitate; compel &c. 744. Adj. necessary, needful &c (requisite) 630. fated; destined &c. v.; elect; spellbound, compulsory &c. (compel) 744; uncontrollable, inevitable, unavoidable, irresistible, irrevocable, inexorable; avoidless[obs3], resistless. involuntary, instinctive, automatic, blind, mechanical; unconscious, unwitting, unthinking; unintentional &c. (undesigned) 621; impulsive &c. 612. Adv. necessarily &c. adv.; of necessity, of course; ex necessitate rei[Lat]; needs must; perforce &c. 744; nolens volens[Lat]; will he nil he, willy nilly, bon gre mal gre[Fr], willing or unwilling, coute que coute[Fr]. faute de mieux[Fr]; by stress of; if need be. Phr. it cannot be helped; there is no help for, there is no helping it; it will be, it must be, it needs to be, it must be so, it will have its way; the die is cast; jacta est alea[obs3][Lat]; che sara sara[French]; "it is written"; one's days are numbered, one's fate is sealed; Fata obstant[Latin]; diis aliter visum[obs3][Latin]; actum me invito factus[Latin], non est meus actus[Latin]; aujord'hui roi demain rien[French]; quisque suos patimur manes [Latin][Vergil];"The moving finger writes and having writ moves on. Nor all your piety and wit can bring it back to cancel half a line, nor all your tears wash out a word of it."[Rubayyat of Omar Khayyam].
#602. Willingness.—N. willingness, voluntariness &c. adj[obs3].; willing mind, heart. disposition, inclination, leaning, animus; frame of mind, humor, mood, vein; bent &c. (turn of mind) 820; penchant &c. (desire) 865; aptitude &c. 698. docility, docibleness[obs3]; persuasibleness[obs3], persuasibility[obs3]; pliability &c. (softness) 324. geniality, cordiality; goodwill; alacrity, readiness, earnestness, forwardness; eagerness &c. (desire) 865. asset &c. 488; compliance &c. 762; pleasure &c. (will) 600; gratuitous service. labor of love; volunteer, volunteering. V. be willing &c. adj.; incline, lean to, mind, propend; had as lief; lend a willing ear, give a willing ear, turn a willing ear; have a half a mind to, have a great mind to; hold to, cling to; desire &c. 865. see fit, think good, think proper; acquiesce &c (assent) 488; comply with &c. 762. swallow the bait, nibble at the bait; gorge the hook; have no scruple of, make no scruple of; make no bones of; jump at, catch at; meet halfway; volunteer. Adj. willing, minded, fain, disposed, inclined, favorable; favorably- minded, favorably inclined, favorably disposed; nothing loth; in the vein, in the mood, in the humor, in the mind. ready, forward, earnest, eager; bent upon &c. (desirous) 865; predisposed, propense[obs3]. docile; persuadable, persuasible; suasible[obs3], easily persuaded, facile, easy-going; tractable &c. (pliant) 324; genial, gracious, cordial, cheering, hearty; content &c. (assenting) 488. voluntary, gratuitous, spontaneous; unasked &c. (ask &c. 765); unforced &c. (free) 748. Adv. willingly &c. adj.; fain, freely, as lief, heart and soul; with pleasure, with all one's heart, with open arms; with good will, with right will; de bonne volonte[Fr], ex animo[Lat]; con amore[It], heart in hand, nothing loth, without reluctance, of one's own accord, graciously, with a good grace. a la bonne heure[Fr]; by all means, by all manner of means; to one's heart's content; yes &c. (assent) 488.
#603. Unwillingness.—N. unwillingness &c. adj.; indisposition, indisposedness[obs3]; disinclination, aversation[obs3]; nolleity[obs3], nolition[obs3]; renitence[obs3], renitency; reluctance; indifference &c. 866; backwardness &c. adj.; slowness &c. 275; want of alacrity, want of readiness; indocility &c. (obstinacy) 606[obs3]. scrupulousness, scrupulosity; qualms of conscience, twinge of conscience; delicacy, demur, scruple, qualm, shrinking, recoil; hesitation &c. (irresolution) 605; fastidiousness &c. 868. averseness &c. (dislike) 867[obs3]; dissent &c. 489; refusal &c. 764. V. be unwilling &c. adj.; nill; dislike &c. 867; grudge, begrudge; not be able to find it in one's heart to, not have the stomach to. demur, stick at, scruple, stickle; hang fire, run rusty; recoil, shrink, swerve; hesitate &c. 605; avoid &c. 623. oppose &c. 708; dissent &c. 489; refuse &c. 764. Adj. unwilling; not in the vein, loth, loath, shy of, disinclined, indisposed, averse, reluctant, not content; adverse &c. (opposed) 708; laggard, backward, remiss, slack, slow to; indifferent &c. 866; scrupulous; squeamish &c. (fastidious) 868; repugnant &c. (dislike) 867; restiff|, restive; demurring &c. v.; unconsenting &c. (refusing) 764; involuntary &c. 601. Adv. unwillingly &c. adj.; grudgingly, with a heavy heart; with a bad, with an ill grace; against one's wishes, against one's will, against the grain, sore against one's wishes, sore against one's will, sore against one's grain; invita Minerva[Lat]; a contre caeur[Fr]; malgre soi[Fr]; in spite of one's teeth, in spite of oneself; nolens volens &c. (necessity) 601[Lat]; perforce &c. 744; under protest; no &c. 536; not for the world, far be it from me.
#604. Resolution.—N. determination, will; iron will, unconquerable will; will of one's own, decision, resolution; backbone; clear grit, true grit, grit [U. S. &can.]; sand, strength of mind, strength of will; resolve &c. (intent) 620; firmness &c. (stability) 150; energy, manliness, vigor; game, pluck; resoluteness &c. (courage) 861; zeal &c. 682; aplomb; desperation; devotion, devotedness. mastery over self; self control, self command, self possession, self reliance, self government, self restraint, self conquest, self denial; moral courage, moral strength; perseverance &c. 604a; tenacity; obstinacy &c. 606; bulldog; British lion. V. have determination &c. n.; know one's own mind; be resolved &c. adj.; make up one's mind, will, resolve, determine; decide &c. (judgment) 480; form a determination, come to a determination, come to a resolution, come to a resolve; conclude, fix, seal, determine once for all, bring to a crisis, drive matters to an extremity; take a decisive step &c. (choice) 609; take upon oneself &c. (undertake) 676. devote oneself to, give oneself up to; throw away the scabbard, kick down the ladder, nail one's colors to the mast, set one's back against the wall, set one's teeth, put one's foot down, take one's stand; stand firm &c. (stability) 150; steel oneself; stand no nonsense, not listen to the voice of the charmer. buckle to; buckle oneself put one's shoulder to the wheel, lay one's shoulder to the wheel, set one's shoulder to the wheel; put one's heart into; run the gauntlet, make a dash at, take the bull by the horns; rush in medias res, plunge in medias res; go in for; insist upon, make a point of; set one's heart upon, set one's mind upon. stick at nothing, stop at nothing; make short work of &c. (activity) 682; not stick at trifles; go all lengths, go the limit *, go the whole hog; persist &c. (persevere) 604a; go through fire and water, ride the tiger, ride in the whirlwind and direct the storm. Adj. resolved &c. v.; determined; strong-willed, strong-minded; resolute &c. (brave) 861; self-possessed; decided, definitive, peremptory, tranchant[obs3]; unhesitating, unflinching, unshrinking[obs3]; firm, iron, gritty [U.S.], indomitable, game to the backbone; inexorable, relentless, not to be shaken, not to be put down; tenax propositi[Lat]; inflexible &c. (hard) 323; obstinate &c. 606; steady &c. (persevering) 604a. earnest, serious; set upon, bent upon, intent upon. steel against, proof against; in utrumque paratus[Lat]. Adv. resolutely &c. adj.; in earnest, in good earnest; seriously, joking apart, earnestly, heart and soul; on one's mettle; manfully, like a man, with a high hand; with a strong hand &c. (exertion) 686. at any rate, at any risk, at any hazard at any price, at any cost, at any sacrifice; at all hazards, at all risks, at all events; a bis ou a blanc[Fr][obs3]; cost what it may; coute[Fr]; a tort et a travers[obs3]; once for all; neck or nothing; rain or shine. Phr. spes sibi quisque[Lat]; celui qui veut celui-la peut[Fr]; chi non s'arrischia non guadagna[Fr][obs3]; frangas non flectes[Lat]; manu forti[Lat]; tentanda via est[Lat].
#604a. Perseverance.—N. perseverance; continuance &c. (inaction) 143; permanence &c. (absence of change) 141; firmness &c. (stability) 150. constancy, steadiness; singleness of purpose, tenacity of purpose; persistence, plodding, patience; sedulity &c. (industry) 682; pertinacy|, pertinacity, pertinaciousness; iteration &c. 104 bottom, game, pluck, stamina, backbone, grit; indefatigability, indefatigableness; bulldog courage. V. persevere, persist; hold on, hold out; die in the last ditch, be in at the death; stick to, cling to, adhere to; stick to one's text, keep on; keep to one's course, keep to one's ground, maintain one's course, maintain one's ground; go all lengths, go through fire and water; bear up, keep up, hold up; plod; stick to work &c. (work) 686; continue &c. 143; follow up; die in harness, die at one's post. Adj. persevering, constant; steady, steadfast; undeviating, unwavering, unfaltering, unswerving, unflinching, unsleeping[obs3], unflagging, undrooping[obs3]; steady as time; unrelenting, unintermitting[obs3], unremitting; plodding; industrious &c. 682; strenuous &c. 686; pertinacious; persisting, persistent. solid, sturdy, staunch, stanch, true to oneself; unchangeable &c. 150; unconquerable &c. (strong) 159; indomitable, game to the last, indefatigable, untiring, unwearied, never tiring. Adv. through evil report and good report, through thick and thin, through fire and water; per fas et nefas[Lat]; without fail, sink or swim, at any price, vogue la galere[Fr].. Phr. never say die; give it the old college try; vestigia nulla retrorsum[Lat]; aut vincer aut mori[Lat]; la garde meurt et ne se rend pas[Fr]; tout vient a temps pour qui sait attendre[Fr].
#605. Irresolution.—N. irresolution, infirmity of purpose, indecision; indetermination, undetermination|!; unsettlement; uncertainty &c. 475; demur, suspense; hesitating &c. v., hesitation, hesitancy; vacillation; changeableness &c. 149; fluctuation; alternation &c. (oscillation) 314; caprice &c. 608. fickleness, levity, legerete[Fr]; pliancy &c. (softness) 324; weakness; timidity &c. 860; cowardice &c. 862; half measures. waverer, ass between two bundles of hay; shuttlecock, butterfly; wimp; doughface [obs3][U. S.]. V. be irresolute &c. adj.; hang in suspense, keep in suspense; leave "ad referendum"; think twice about, pause; dawdle &c. (inactivity) 683; remain neuter; dillydally, hesitate, boggle, hover, dacker[obs3], hum and haw, demur, not know one's own mind; debate, balance; dally with, coquet with; will and will not, chaser-balancer[obs3]; go halfway, compromise, make a compromise; be thrown off one's balance, stagger like a drunken man; be afraid &c. 860; "let 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would'" [Macbeth]; falter, waver vacillate &c. 149; change &c. 140; retract &c. 607; fluctuate; pendulate[obs3]; alternate &c. (oscillate) 314; keep off and on, play fast and loose; blow hot and cold &c. (caprice) 608. shuffle, palter, blink; trim. Adj. irresolute, infirm of purpose, double-minded, half-hearted; undecided, unresolved, undetermined; shilly-shally; fidgety, tremulous; hesitating &c. v.; off one's balance; at a loss &c. (uncertain) 475. vacillating &c. v.; unsteady &c. (changeable) 149; unsteadfast[obs3], fickle, without ballast; capricious &c. 608; volatile, frothy; light, lightsome, light-minded; giddy; fast and loose. weak, feeble-minded, frail; timid, wimpish, wimpy &c. 860; cowardly &c. 862; dough-faced [U.S.]; facile; pliant &c. (soft) 324; unable to say "no", easy-going, revocable, reversible. Adv. irresolutely &c. adj.; irresolved[obs3], irresolvedly[obs3]; in faltering accents; off and on; from pillar to post; seesaw &c. 314. Int. "how happy could I be with either!" [Gay].