voluntaria

Voluntaria is the feminine form of the Spanish adjective voluntario and also serves as a feminine noun. It denotes actions or roles undertaken by free will rather than obligation and can describe a female who offers time or services voluntarily. As an adjective it modifies feminine nouns, for example participación voluntaria, servicio voluntario, or contribución voluntaria. As a noun it can mean a female who volunteers, with the masculine form being voluntario (and the feminine plural voluntarias).

Etymology and related terms: Voluntaria derives from the Latin voluntarius, from voluntas, meaning will or free will. Related terms include voluntario (masculine), voluntariado (the broader practice or movement of voluntary work), and voluntariamente (voluntarily, as an adverb).

Usage and contexts: Voluntaria is widely used in social, educational, health, and humanitarian contexts to indicate voluntary action or personnel. It can describe both the act of volunteering and the person who performs it. In formal writing, speakers often pair voluntaria with a relevant noun (for example, una voluntaria or participación voluntaria) to emphasize voluntariness. The broader concept of organized, persistent volunteer work is more commonly referred to as voluntariado.

Examples: Una voluntaria ayudó en el refugio de animales. Su participación fue voluntaria, no obligatoria. El programa de voluntariado movilizó a varias voluntarias para apoyar en la campaña. In these contexts, voluntaria signals either the feminine individual or the feminine quality of voluntariness, while voluntariado denotes the organized activity.