automatically

American  

[aw-tuh-mat-ik-lee] / ˌɔ təˈmæt ɪk li /

adverb

1. without volition or from force of habit; mechanically.

   Whenever I hear that song, I automatically think of my dad.

2. by a device or process requiring no human intervention.

   The switch can be operated automatically or manually.

3. in a manner independent of a decision or action.

   Your membership will be renewed automatically.

4. (of a firearm) repeatedly for as long as the trigger is pulled.

   a rifle that fires automatically.

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Etymology

Origin of automatically

First recorded in 1710–15; automatic ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

Something that happens automatically happens in a mechanical way without a person having to do anything extra. If you walk through a door that swings open by itself, it opened automatically. When something is done automatically, it does it on its own, like a spellchecker that corrects your spelling automatically. In a crash, a car's airbag automatically fills with air. Many computers automatically go into rest mode (to save energy) if you don't touch them for a few seconds. Automatically can also refer to how you do something without thinking about it, like if you automatically walk into your old apartment and startle the new tenants.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

automatically

Customers will receive the credit automatically in two parts, half in August and half in September.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

His son Haakon automatically succeeded him to the throne.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Another factor was the lack of a transponder on the fire engine, which would have automatically alerted air traffic controllers that the aircraft and the truck were on a collision course, according to investigators.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Those subagents perform the tasks employees prompt them for, such as tracking variances in a sales forecast and automatically sending an anomaly notification.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

At the same time, he wondered whether his own logic was faulty, since he based his arguments on geometry, whose infinitely divisible lines automatically reject atomism.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• commonly
• faithfully
• frequently
• repeatedly
• routinely
• systematically
• usually