mechanistic

American  

[mek-uh-nis-tik] / ˌmɛk əˈnɪs tɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the theory of mechanism or to mechanists.

2. of or relating to mechanics.

3. mechanical.

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mechanistic British  

/ ˌmɛkəˈnɪstɪk /

adjective

1. philosophy of or relating to the theory of mechanism

2. maths of or relating to mechanics

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Other Word Forms

• antimechanistic adjective
• antimechanistically adverb
• mechanistically adverb
• nonmechanistic adjective
• semimechanistic adjective
• unmechanistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of mechanistic

First recorded in 1880–85; mechanist + -ic

Example Sentences

"Pancreatic cancer remains one of the toughest cancers to treat. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for why tumors respond poorly to chemotherapy and offers a rational strategy for combining targeted therapies with existing drugs."

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

In addition, the authors reviewed dozens of related clinical, translational, and mechanistic studies involving wild blueberries, cultivated blueberries, and a wide range of cardiometabolic outcomes.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

"Our study reveals the mechanistic basis for this paradox," said Esposito.

From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2026

“The non-wildland zoning doesn’t involve any direct sort of mechanistic fire behavior assessment,” David Sapsis, a Cal Fire research manager who oversees the mapping efforts, told The Times in January before the rollout began.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025

But biophysicists were intent on restoring a rigidly mechanistic description to biology.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee