mechanical

[muh-kan-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. having to do with machinery.

   a mechanical failure.

2. being a machine; operated by machinery.

   a mechanical toy.

3. caused by or derived from machinery.

   mechanical propulsion.

4. using machine parts only.

5. brought about by friction, abrasion, etc..

   a mechanical bond between stones; mechanical erosion.

6. pertaining to the design, use, understanding, etc., of tools and machinery.

   the mechanical trades; mechanical ability.

7. acting or performed without spontaneity, spirit, individuality, etc..

   a mechanical performance.

8. habitual; routine; automatic.

   Practice that step until it becomes mechanical.

9. belonging or pertaining to the subject matter of mechanics. mechanics.

10. pertaining to, or controlled or effected by, physical forces.

11. (of a philosopher or philosophical theory) explaining phenomena as due to mechanical action or the material forces of the universe.

12. subordinating the spiritual to the material; materialistic.

noun

1. a mechanical object, part, device, etc.

2. Printing.,  a sheet of stiff paper on which has been pasted artwork and type proofs for making a printing plate; paste-up.

3. Obsolete.,  a skilled manual laborer, as a carpenter or other artisan.

mechanical

/ mɪˈkænɪkəl /

adjective

1. made, performed, or operated by or as if by a machine or machinery

   a mechanical process

2. concerned with machines or machinery

3. relating to or controlled or operated by physical forces

4. of or concerned with mechanics

5. (of a gesture, etc) automatic; lacking thought, feeling, etc

6. philosophy accounting for phenomena by physically determining forces

7. (of paper, such as newsprint) made from pulp that has been mechanically ground and contains impurities

noun

1. printing another name for camera-ready copy

2. archaic,  another word for mechanic

Other Word Forms

• mechanically adverb
• mechanicalness noun
• mechanicality noun
• nonmechanical adjective
• nonmechanically adverb
• nonmechanicalness noun
• quasi-mechanical adjective
• quasi-mechanically adverb
• semimechanical adjective
• supermechanical adjective
• supermechanically adverb
• unmechanical adjective
• unmechanically adverb
• mechanicalism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mechanical¹

1375–1425; late Middle English, equivalent to mechanic mechanical + -al ¹; mechanic

Example Sentences

In California, a mechanical issue damaged the engine in Anduril’s unmanned jet fighter Fury in a ground test over the summer ahead of a critical first flight for the Air Force.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The team found that discarded Teflon can be broken apart and reused with only sodium metal and mechanical movement by shaking -- all at room temperature and without toxic solvents.

Read more on Science Daily

Buildings constructed directly on the sand and mechanical beach cleaning also reduce species richness and biomass.

Read more on Science Daily

Dow has revealed she plans on returning to a career in mechanical engineering, having completed her degree at Imperial College London in 2020.

Read more on BBC

Bamboo scaffolds have "intrinsic weaknesses such as variation in mechanical properties, deterioration over time and high combustibility, etc, giving rise to safety concerns", the bureau's spokesperson Terence Lam was quoted as saying.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• automated www.thesaurus.com
• automatic