machinelike

American  

[muh-sheen-lahyk] / məˈʃinˌlaɪk /

adjective

1. like a machine, as in regular movement or uniform pattern of operation.

   to conduct business with machinelike efficiency.

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Etymology

Origin of machinelike

First recorded in 1690–1700; machine + -like

Example Sentences

That Norwegian, a 25-year-old Viking look-alike named Erling Haaland, is currently on a historic tear through English soccer—even by his own machinelike standards.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

At this nature-oriented museum, Serra’s sculptures are machinelike hulks in the garden.

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2022

He would help symbolize the almost machinelike efficiency of the Yankees in the mid-20th century, when only twice between Ford’s rookie year and 1964 did they fail to make the postseason.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 9, 2020

Posters featuring orange safety cones and music full of machinelike repetition punctured by whistles and screams contradicted audience assumptions that small Southern towns produced only county and folk sounds and handmade things.

From Slate • Jul. 8, 2020

I try to page through the files quickly, machinelike.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse