in spite of oneself; involuntarily; absently
Describes acting without conscious intention, often when one's true feelings or habits slip out. Used adverbially.
See also: 我にもあらず
Tears spilled in spite of myself.
He was talking to himself absently.
Standard kanji-kana spelling.
Variant with 無く instead of なく; slightly more formal or literary.
From 我 (oneself) + に (particle) + も (even) + なく (adverbial form of ない, not). Literally 'not even as oneself', it developed into an adverb meaning 'involuntarily' or 'unlike oneself'.