Words / B2

spon-TAYN-ee-uh-s/spɒnˈteɪniəs/

Spontaneous means not planned; happening naturally or on impulse: a spontaneous answer; spontaneous combustion (science). Impulsive stresses little thought; unplanned is plain. A spontaneous oral answer still needs justification. Mix-up: simultaneous means at the same time (already elsewhere); instantaneous is instant. Do not call a rehearsed speech spontaneous.

Meaning

Not planned; happening naturally or on impulse.

Examples

• “A spontaneous answer in the oral still needs a justified opinion, not a shrug.”
• “A spontaneous protest blocked the High Street, which is the unplanned-event sense.”

Good to know

a spontaneous + noun; spontaneously. Plain: unplanned. Trap: simultaneous. Orals, news, and chemistry. Unplanned, not “at the same time”.

Near in meaning

unplanned

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