automotive
Americanadjective
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pertaining to the design, operation, manufacture, or sale of automobiles.
automotive parts.
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propelled by a self-contained motor, engine, or the like.
noun
adjective
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relating to motor vehicles
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self-propelling
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of automotive
Explanation
Anything automotive has to do with automobiles — in other words, cars. The automotive industry, for example, is all about making and selling cars. If the windshield wipers fall off your car, get new ones at an automotive store. The word automotive comes from the Greek auto for “self” and motive for “moving," which makes sense for what the word may have meant in the late 1800s — a self-propelled helicopter-like machine for one person. Don’t bother looking for one of those, though, automotive now just refers to car stuff. If you're interested in automotive technology, you might become a mechanic. Or maybe you could figure out how to make one of those little helicopters.
Vocabulary lists containing automotive
To Thine Own Self Be True: Auto
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: auto-
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 1
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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.
“The persistently difficult conditions in the automotive industry are posing significant challenges for the core investments,” Porsche SE PAH3 -0.54%decrease; red down pointing triangle said Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
“Structural change in key industries, such as the automotive sector, remains a major challenge,” Schattenberg said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
As automotive analyst Lauren Fix puts it: “If you’re selling hamburgers and expensive steaks, the hamburgers are going to sell a lot faster.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
"Government must make full use of the 60-day notice period because the possibility of reinstatement remains," it said, also calling for an "automotive trade solution".
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
You’d have to be deep into the massive automotive clot to feel that abandoning your car was your only course of action.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
