bionic
Americanadjective
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utilizing electronic devices and mechanical parts to assist humans in performing difficult, dangerous, or intricate tasks, as by supplementing or duplicating parts of the body.
The scientist used a bionic arm to examine the radioactive material.
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Informal. having superhuman strength or capacity.
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of or relating to bionics.
adjective
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of or relating to bionics
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(in science fiction) having certain physiological functions augmented or replaced by electronic equipment
the bionic man
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bionic
1955–60; bio- + (electro)nic; cf. bionics
Explanation
Something that's bionic is artificial but made to work as if it were real. Some people with vision loss have had bionic eyes implanted to restore their sight. In medicine, bionic devices are used to replace missing or failing body parts. These are different from prostheses, or artificial limbs, because they copy exactly (or even exceed) the biology of the original part. Bionic body parts first entered popular culture in the 1970s, when the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man told the story of an injured astronaut whose bionic implants (a bionic eye, legs, and arm) gave him superhuman powers.
Vocabulary lists containing bionic
Words to Live By: Bio
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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.
She used it again to complete the Great North Run in 2016, earning the nickname "bionic woman" for her achievements.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
"Our bionic robots can accompany you for a lifetime," Michael Tam, head of UBTech's brand UWorld, said Tuesday at a launch event in the southern Chinese tech hub Shenzhen.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Mr. Foster dismisses their preoccupations with bionic implants or humanoid robots as MacGuffins—Alfred Hitchcock’s term for a device that momentarily advances a movie plot but ultimately fails to develop into anything.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025
The startup is known for its bionic “Ability hand,” used by both robots and humans with missing limbs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
The only really bad thing about my bionic Lobot hearing aids was the fact that I couldn’t wear a baseball cap anymore.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
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.
