mechanical [muh -kan -i-kuh l]
Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for mechanical on Thesaurus.com having to do with machinery: a mechanical failure. being a machine; operated by machinery: a mechanical toy. caused by or derived from machinery: mechanical propulsion. using machine parts only. brought about by friction, abrasion, etc.: a mechanical bond between stones; mechanical erosion. pertaining to the design, use, understanding, etc., of tools and machinery: the mechanical trades; mechanical ability. acting or performed without spontaneity, spirit, individuality, etc.: a mechanical performance. habitual; routine; automatic: Practice that step until it becomes mechanical. belonging or pertaining to the subject matter of mechanics . pertaining to, or controlled or effected by, physical forces. (of a philosopher or philosophical theory) explaining phenomena as due to mechanical action or the material forces of the universe. subordinating the spiritual to the material; materialistic. Show More
a mechanical object, part, device, etc. Printing a sheet of stiff paper on which has been pasted artwork and type proofs for making a printing plate; paste-up. Obsolete a skilled manual laborer, as a carpenter or other artisan. Show More
Origin of mechanical 1375–1425; late Middle English, equivalent to
mechanic mechanical +
-al1 ; see
mechanic Related forms me·chan·i·cal·ly , adverb me·chan·i·cal·ness , me·chan·i·cal·i·ty , noun non·me·chan·i·cal , adjective non·me·chan·i·cal·ly , adverb non·me·chan·i·cal·ness , noun qua·si-me·chan·i·cal , adjective qua·si-me·chan·i·cal·ly , adverb sem·i·me·chan·i·cal , adjective su·per·me·chan·i·cal , adjective su·per·me·chan·i·cal·ly , adverb un·me·chan·i·cal , adjective un·me·chan·i·cal·ly , adverb Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for mechanically Contemporary Examples of mechanically “Keeping in contact with those people, and mechanically getting them to the trial, those are the hard parts,” Risner said.
What about allowing a school to manually or "mechanically " restrain students?
“First we targeted the tanks and the jeeps with IEDs,” he said mechanically , as if recalling a combat briefing.
This process can be mechanically assisted by deep belly massages and, yes, colonic irrigation.
It is simply unrealistic to say that judges can decide every case by mechanically applying a rigid algorithm.
Historical Examples of mechanically Mechanically , you raise your hand to lift away your optimistic spectacles.
Then, mechanically , his hand went to the lamp on the table back of the couch.
Before she had repeated them mechanically , for not until now did she need them.
Mechanically she took from the wardrobe a hooded cloak, put it about her, and left the room.
They halted, mechanically and abruptly; every eye was turned to the beloved scene.
British Dictionary definitions for mechanically made, performed, or operated by or as if by a machine or machinery a mechanical process concerned with machines or machinery relating to or controlled or operated by physical forces of or concerned with mechanics (of a gesture, etc) automatic; lacking thought, feeling, etc philosophy accounting for phenomena by physically determining forces (of paper, such as newsprint) made from pulp that has been mechanically ground and contains impurities Show More
Derived Forms mechanicalism , noun mechanically , adverb mechanicalness , noun Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for mechanically adj. early 15c., "of or pertaining to machines," from mechanic (adj.) + -al (1); of persons or human actions, "resembling machines, automatic" it is from c.1600. Related: Mechanically . Mechanical-minded is recorded from 1820.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Operated or produced by a mechanism or machine. Relating to, produced by, or dominated by physical forces. Interpreting and explaining the phenomena of the universe by referring to causally determined material forces; mechanistic. Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
