cybernetic

American  

[sahy-ber-net-ik] / ˌsaɪ bərˈnɛt ɪk /

Rarely cybernetical

adjective

1. of or relating to cybernetics, the study of automatic control and communication functions in both living organisms and mechanical and electronic systems.

   The self-regulating engineering devices of the mid-20th century inspired the cybernetic image of the brain as a computer.

2. relating to or being a mechanical or electronic device implanted into or attached to a living organism to enhance or aid physiological functioning.

   In the sci-fi movie, the hero’s nemesis acquires a six-legged spider-like cybernetic apparatus to replace his lost lower body.

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Other Word Forms

• cybernetically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of cybernetic

First recorded in 1945–50; back formation from cybernetics ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cybernetic

He adds it is likely we'll see more cybernetic enhancements of the kind he has already trialled himself, so that "your brain and body can be in different places".

From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026

With that we move from the managerial revolution and the cybernetic revolution — which tried to make sense of the managerial revolution — to the neoliberal revolution of the 1970s onward.

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2025

There will be no cybernetic android that lumbers over to your desk and takes over your work duties, no disembodied robot voice that suddenly assumes command over your department.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2023

And to learn from them, so that today’s dystopian cybernetic science fiction does not become science fact.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2023

And we realize fully how dangerous those Doernberg-Giardanos are, and how much more dangerous they'd be if these cybernetic controls were improperly assembled.

From Day of the Moron by H. Beam Piper