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ideomotor

[ ahy-dee-uh-moh-ter, id-ee-uh- ]
/ ˌaɪ di əˈmoʊ tər, ˌɪd i ə- /
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adjective Psychology.
of or relating to involuntary motor activity caused by an idea.Compare sensorimotor (def. 1).
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Origin of ideomotor

First recorded in 1865–70; ideo- + motor

OTHER WORDS FROM ideomotor

i·de·o·mo·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ideomotor in a sentence

  • Good examples of ideomotor action can be observed among the audience at an athletic contest.

    Psychology|Robert S. Woodworth
  • This is known as ideomotor action and is present in the waking as well as the hypnotic state.

  • Of these ideomotor phenomena physical exercises, games, manual trades, readily furnish instances.

British Dictionary definitions for ideomotor

ideomotor
/ (ˌaɪdɪəˈməʊtə) /

adjective
physiol designating automatic muscular movements stimulated by ideas, as in absent-minded acts
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
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