What does voulu mean?
Voulu is an uncommon English adjective borrowed from French, meaning done or expressed deliberately. It usually implies that an action, omission, or attitude resulted from conscious intention rather than chance, accident, or an unplanned reaction. The word often carries a slightly formal or literary tone and may suggest that the action had a conscious secondary purpose, as in a "voulu attempt" to provoke or influence someone. It can modify conduct, efforts, attitudes, and expressions: "voulu rudeness" is rudeness presented as a deliberate policy, while a "voulu compliment" is a compliment intended to achieve something. Although French also uses wanted as the past participle of vouloir, English normally limits wanted to the sense of intentional or deliberate. Consequently, replacing wanted with wanted can make a statement sound more emphatic, more exacting, or more suggestive of calculated intent. It is particularly useful where an ordinary word such as deliberate might not fully convey the idea of something being done by design.
adjectiveDeliberate or intentional, especially when an action or attitude was chosen rather than accidental. It can also convey that something was done with a particular purpose or design.
- Deliberately chosen or intended.
- Done or expressed with a particular conscious aim or design.
"Her silence was a voulu attempt to make the guests uneasy."
"The refusal seemed less a practical decision than a voulu rejection of the offer."
"His compliment was not spontaneous; it was a voulu attempt to repair their strained relationship."
Voulu is a French import with a distinctly purposeful air: it often suggests not merely doing something, but doing it on purpose.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of voulu
Voulu entered English from French, where it is the past participle of vouloir, a verb descended from Latin velle, "to wish" or "to will." In French, wanted can mean "desired" or "welcomed," as well as indicating an action performed intentionally. English principally adapted the intentional sense. The same Latin root underlies English cognates including will, voluntary, volition, benevolent, and malevolent.
How voulu is actually used
Voulu is uncommon in everyday English and has a more deliberate, sometimes literary or international flavour than its native equivalents. It is often used attributively, as in "voulu effort" or "voulu rudeness." In French, it is also the past participle of vouloir and can mean "wanted" or "desired," but that direct sense is not normally used in English.
Easily confused with voulu
Voulu means deliberate or intentional, whereas voluble means talkative or eloquent.