mechanical

American  

[muh-kan-i-kuhl] / məˈkæn ɪ kəl /

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.

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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noun

1. printing another name for camera-ready copy

2. archaic another word for mechanic

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of mechanical

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

Explanation

Use the adjective mechanical to describe something related to machinery or tools. If your car breaks down on the same day that your watch stops, you've got a lot of mechanical problems. You’ll most often hear mechanical used to describe something involving a machine. A mechanical problem at work might mean the copier has broken down again. Mechanical can also refer to physical forces, called mechanics having to do with how things move, like the mechanical elegance of a pendulum. We also use mechanical for human things that are so tedious, repetitive or automatic that they feel like they're done by machines and not people.

Example Sentences

He manipulates mechanical arms remotely, using hand and arm sensors to make them pick up a pot of coffee, pour it into a mug and put the pot back in the coffee maker.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

In quantum technologies, qubits serve a similar purpose but can take advantage of quantum mechanical effects to process and transmit information in entirely new ways.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2026

Man isn’t surpassed by the machine, because man isn’t reducible to calculation or mechanical processes.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

"The market's reaction remains almost mechanical at this point," said Stephen Innes, an analyst at SPI Asset Management.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

Vaucanson not only made a mechanical duck, he also devised a machine that would automatically weave brocades.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• automated
• automatic