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

It rendered his usual swing fixes ineffective as he battled mechanical flaws to which he struggled to find answers.

From Los Angeles Times

Heavy and jagged portions of the floors and walls sat in piles where tree roots and vines had pushed through and wound around the remains of scavenged equipment, a kind of mechanical carnage.

From Salon

What followed was a series of mechanical tweaks that got Sasaki’s fastball back around 100 and his trademark splitter to more closely mirror his four-seamer when it left his hand.

From Los Angeles Times

The statement added "there was absence of mechanical smoke extraction systems, this allowed smoke to migrate unchecked. The public address systems were not functioning and there was inadequate signage, this worsened the confusion".

From BBC

As an undergraduate, he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Khartoum and in 1984 earned a PhD in philosophy and strategic planning at the UK's Bradford University.

From BBC

Related Words

• automated www.thesaurus.com
• automatic