automaton
Americannoun
plural
automatons, automata-
a mechanical figure or contrivance constructed to act as if by its own motive power; robot.
-
a person or animal that acts in a monotonous, routine manner, without active intelligence.
-
something capable of acting automatically or without an external motive force.
noun
-
a mechanical device operating under its own hidden power; robot
-
a person who acts mechanically or leads a routine monotonous life
Other Word Forms
- automatous adjective
Etymology
Origin of automaton
1605–15; < Latin: automatic device < Greek, noun use of neuter of autómatos spontaneous, acting without human agency, equivalent to auto- auto- 1 + -matos, adj. derivative from base of memonénai to intend, ménos might, force
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Wednesday he was an automaton, almost like a windup toy.
From Salon
The World Robot Olympiad opened in Singapore on Wednesday with hundreds of international students, some as young as eight, set to compete using automatons to solve real-world problems.
From Barron's
In small factories across America, agile automatons are making everything from parts for AI supercomputers to the hulls of America’s future autonomous naval weapons.
The term for an automaton picked up steam elsewhere with the advent of artificial intelligence and the wider adoption of delivery robots.
From Salon
The success of “Maybe Happy Ending” hinges in no small part on the miraculous performance of Darren Criss, who plays an automaton with a secretly sensitive heart.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
