Voluntaryists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who advocate for a society based on voluntary cooperation and mutual aid rather than coercive institutions
2. Individuals who support the philosophy that all forms of human association should be consensual and free from compulsion
3. A community of thinkers committed to the idea that interactions and arrangements should occur voluntarily, without enforced authority

Etymology: "Voluntaryists" is the plural of "voluntaryist," a noun formed from the adjective "voluntary" plus the suffix "-ist," which marks a person who holds or practises a particular belief. The base adjective goes back through Old French "voluntaire" to Latin "voluntarius," from "voluntas," meaning "will" or "free choice," so the word's core idea is simply acting by one's own will rather than under compulsion. The "-ist" suffix comes from Greek and is attached to the adjective to name the adherent of a creed, much as "socialist" or "pacifist" name followers of a position. Because the suffix is the only new element, the plural adds nothing beyond the number of people involved, and the word reads transparently to anyone who knows "voluntary."