automotive

American  

[aw-tuh-moh-tiv, aw-tuh-moh-tiv] / ˌɔ təˈmoʊ tɪv, ˈɔ təˌmoʊ tɪv /

adjective

1. pertaining to the design, operation, manufacture, or sale of automobiles.

   automotive parts.

2. propelled by a self-contained motor, engine, or the like.

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noun

1. Informal. an industry, store department, etc., specializing in appliances and parts for cars, trucks, and other motorized vehicles.

   You may find what you're looking for in automotive.

automotive British  

/ ˌɔːtəˈməʊtɪv /

adjective

1. relating to motor vehicles

2. self-propelling

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Other Word Forms

• nonautomotive adjective

Etymology

Origin of automotive

First recorded in 1860–65; auto- ¹ + motive

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.

Example Sentences

AI is an opportunity for STMicroelectronics to turn the page after several quarters plagued by a slow automotive business–a key end-market for a company that supplies to Tesla, German parts supplier Continental, and Israel’s Mobileye.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Revenue in its automotive division rose 8% at constant exchange rates to 10.81 billion euros.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

"China is now the centre of gravity for automotive innovation, not just production," Russo said.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Herbert Nappier, chief financial officer at Genuine Parts, told investors Tuesday that the automotive parts distributor incorporated depressed demand and higher supply prices into its fiscal-year outlook.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

One of the reporters—he’d lived in Japan just after the war, training automotive engineers to write manuals—was reminded of the calm of a geisha he’d witnessed performing the tea ceremony at Nara.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson