Adjacent Words

Automatic definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AUTOMAT'IC,
AUTOMAT'ICAL, a.
1. Belonging to an automation; having the power of moving itself; mechanical.
2. Not voluntary; not depending on the will. Dr. Hartley has demonstrated that all our motions are originally automatic, and generally produced by the action of tangible things on the muscular fiber.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: operating with minimal human intervention; independent of external control; "automatic transmission"; "a budget deficit that caused automatic spending cuts" [ant: manual]
2: resembling the unthinking functioning of a machine; "an automatic `thank you'"; "machinelike efficiency" [syn: automatic, automatonlike, machinelike, robotlike, robotic]
3: without volition or conscious control; "the automatic shrinking of the pupils of the eye in strong light"; "a reflex knee jerk"; "sneezing is reflexive" [syn: automatic, reflex, reflexive] n
1: light machine gun [syn: automatic rifle, automatic, machine rifle]
2: a pistol that will keep firing until the ammunition is gone or the trigger is released [syn: automatic pistol, automatic]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Greek automatos self-acting, from aut- + -matos (akin to Latin ment-, mens mind) — more at mind Date: 1748 1. a. largely or wholly involuntary; especially reflex 5 <automatic blinking of the eyelids> b. acting or done spontaneously or unconsciously c. done or produced as if by machine ; mechanical <the answers were automatic> 2. having a self-acting or self-regulating mechanism <an automatic transmission> 3. of a firearm firing repeatedly until the trigger is released Synonyms: see spontaneous • automatically adverb • automaticity noun II. noun Date: 1897 1. a machine or apparatus that operates automatically: as a. an automatic firearm b. an automatic transmission 2. a semiautomatic firearm 3. audible

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 (of a machine, device, etc., or its function) working by itself, without direct human intervention. 2 a done spontaneously, without conscious thought or intention (an automatic reaction). b necessary and inevitable (an automatic penalty). 3 Psychol. performed unconsciously or subconsciously. 4 (of a firearm) that continues firing until the ammunition is exhausted or the pressure on the trigger is released. 5 (of a motor vehicle or its transmission) using gears that change automatically according to speed and acceleration. --n. 1 an automatic device, esp. a gun or transmission. 2 colloq. a vehicle with automatic transmission. Phrases and idioms: automatic pilot a device for keeping an aircraft on a set course. Derivatives: automatically adv. automaticity n. Etymology: formed as AUTOMATON + -IC

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Automatic Au`to*mat"ic, Automatical Au`to*mat"ic*al, a. [Cf. F. automatique. See Automaton.] 1. Having an inherent power of action or motion. Nothing can be said to be automatic. --Sir H. Davy. 2. Pertaining to, or produced by, an automaton; of the nature of an automaton; self-acting or self-regulating under fixed conditions; -- esp. applied to machinery or devices in which certain things formerly or usually done by hand are done by the machine or device itself; as, the automatic feed of a lathe; automatic gas lighting; an automatic engine or switch; an automatic mouse. 3. Not voluntary; not depending on the will; mechanical; as, automatic movements or functions. Unconscious or automatic reasoning. --H. Spenser. Automatic arts, such economic arts or manufacture as are carried on by self-acting machinery. --Ure.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(automatics) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. An automatic machine or device is one which has controls that enable it to perform a task without needing to be constantly operated by a person. Automatic methods and processes involve the use of such machines. Modern trains have automatic doors. ADJ 2. An automatic is a gun that keeps firing shots until you stop pulling the trigger. He drew his automatic and began running in the direction of the sounds... N-COUNT 3. An automatic is a car in which the gears change automatically as the car's speed increases or decreases. N-COUNT 4. An automatic action is one that you do without thinking about it. All of the automatic body functions, even breathing, are affected. ADJ • automatically Strangely enough, you will automatically wake up after this length of time... ADV: usu ADV with v 5. If something such as an action or a punishment is automatic, it happens without people needing to think about it because it is the result of a fixed rule or method. Those drivers should face an automatic charge of manslaughter... ADJ: usu ADJ n • automatically As an account customer, you are automatically entitled to a variety of benefits... ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV n/adj

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Self-moving, self-acting.

Moby Thesaurus

accordant, accustomed, alike, automated, automatic device, automaton, automatous, balanced, beaten, blind, blowgun, blowpipe, casual, compulsive, conditioned, confirmed, consistent, consonant, constant, continuous, correspondent, cybernated, cyborg, equable, equal, even, firearm, flamethrower, flat, forced, frequent, gat, gun, gut, habitual, habituated, hackneyed, handgun, heater, homogeneous, ill-advised, ill-considered, ill-devised, immutable, impulsive, inadvertent, indeliberate, ineluctable, inescapable, inevitable, inherent, innate, instinctive, instinctual, invariable, involuntary, level, libidinal, measured, mechanical, mechanical man, methodic, monolithic, musket, natural, of a piece, ordered, orderly, peashooter, persistent, piece, pistol, prompt, quick, ready, recurrent, recurring, reflex, reflexive, regular, repeater, repetitive, revolver, rifle, robot, robotlike, rod, routine, sawed-off shotgun, self-acting, self-active, self-adjusting, self-closing, self-controlled, self-cooking, self-directed, self-directing, self-dumping, self-governed, self-governing, self-lighting, self-mover, self-operative, self-regulating, self-regulative, self-starting, self-winding, self-working, semiautomatic, shooting iron, shotgun, six-gun, six-shooter, smooth, snap, spontaneous, stable, steadfast, steady, stereotyped, subliminal, systematic, trite, unadvised, unavoidable, unbroken, uncalculated, unchangeable, unchanged, unchanging, unconscious, unconsidered, undeliberate, undeliberated, undesigned, undeviating, undifferentiated, undiversified, uniform, unintended, unintentional, unlearned, unmeditated, unpremeditated, unprompted, unruffled, unstudied, unthinking, unvaried, unvarying, unwilled, unwilling, unwitting, well-trodden, well-worn