invitus

Invitus is a classical Latin adjective meaning unwilling, reluctant, or loath. It describes someone who does not wish to perform a given action and is often used in contrast with volens, the word for willing. The adjective can apply to people or things presented as involuntary or undesired, and it may be used predicatively (est invītus) or attributively when modifying a noun.

Declension and form

Invītus is a regular second-declension adjective. In the singular it appears as masculine invītus, feminine invīta, and neuter invītum. In the plural the forms are masculine invītī, feminine invītae, and neuter invīta. Like other adjectives of this class, it agrees with the noun it modifies in gender and number. The declension follows the standard pattern for second-declension adjectives, with corresponding cases across masculine, feminine, and neuter.

Usage in Latin

The word is used to describe a subject’s attitude toward an action, such as arriving, agreeing, or complying, indicating reluctance rather than enthusiasm. It can accompany verbs of perception or decision and is commonly found in literary and historical Latin to convey the sense that an action is performed reluctantly or without willingness. It is often contrasted with terms that express willingness or eagerness.

Modern usage and context

In modern scholarship, invitus appears primarily in discussions of Latin grammar, vocabulary, and translation. It may also surface in Latin translations or stylized writing that seeks to evoke classical diction. As a Latin term, its practical usage outside scholarly contexts is limited, though it remains a standard example of a typical second-declension adjective used to express negative attitude toward an action.