# voluntarism

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈvɒ.lən.t(ə.)ɹɪ.zəm/

## Definitions
1. A reliance on volunteers to support an institution or achieve an end; volunteerism.
2. A doctrine that assigns the most dominant position to the will rather than the intellect.
3. The political theory that a community is best organized by the voluntary cooperation of individuals, rather than by a government, which is regarded as being coercive by nature.

## Etymology
From voluntary + -ism.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/voluntarism