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automaton

American  
[aw-tom-uh-ton, -tn] / ɔˈtɒm əˌtɒn, -tn /

noun

plural

automatons, automata

  1. a mechanical figure or contrivance constructed to act as if by its own motive power; robot.

  2. a person or animal that acts in a monotonous, routine manner, without active intelligence.

  3. something capable of acting automatically or without an external motive force.

automaton British  
/ ɔːˈtɒməˌtɒn, -tən /

noun

  1. a mechanical device operating under its own hidden power; robot

  2. a person who acts mechanically or leads a routine monotonous life

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

At January’s conference, robots, including Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, a 6-foot-2-inch automaton weighing in at just under 200 pounds with a digital smiley face, were the stars.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

The term for an automaton picked up steam elsewhere with the advent of artificial intelligence and the wider adoption of delivery robots.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2025

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 • May 1, 2025

The application was consuming me, organizing my synapses like an automaton farmer who makes Munsen predictions regarding the historical flow of neurotransmission.

From Slate • Oct. 28, 2023

Then the automaton would probably be thrown away or destroyed.

From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick

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.