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- DictionaryVel·le·i·ty/vəˈlēədē/
noun
- 1. a wish or inclination not strong enough to lead to action: formal "the notion intrigued me, but remained a velleity"
the lowest degree of volition; a slight wish or tendency : inclination… See the full definition
noun. , plural vel·le·i·ties. volition in its weakest form. a mere wish, unaccompanied by an effort to obtain it. velleity. / vɛˈliːɪtɪ / noun. the weakest level of desire or volition. a mere wish. Discover More. Word History and Origins. Origin of velleity 1.
A velleity is a wish you have — a wish that you aren't working to make come true. If you have a velleity to run a marathon, the marathon sounds like a good idea — but you probably aren't going to start training.
Define velleity. velleity synonyms, velleity pronunciation, velleity translation, English dictionary definition of velleity. n. pl. vel·le·i·ties 1. Weak desire or volition. 2. A slight or weak wish or inclination: "He felt cast out ... divorced from the caprices and the...
Velleity is the lowest degree of volition, a slight wish or tendency. [1] Examples of usage. In philosophy. The 16th-century French philosopher Montaigne, in his essay On the Force of Imagination begins with the epigraph he cites from a schoolboy textbook, Fortis imaginatio generat casum, or "A strong imagination begets the event itself." [2] .
Jun 8, 2017 · Definition of 'velleity' Word Frequency. velleity in American English. (vəˈliəti ) noun Word forms: plural velˈleities. 1. the weakest kind of desire or volition. 2. a mere wish that does not lead to the slightest action. Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Jun 2, 2024 · velleity ( countable and uncountable, plural velleities) The lowest degree of desire or volition; a total lack of effort to act. A slight wish not followed by any effort to obtain.
Velleity definition: Weak desire or volition.
There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun velleity. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
velleity. noun, plural vel·le·i·ties. volition in its weakest form. a mere wish, unaccompanied by an effort to obtain it. The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported.