robotic

[roh-bot-ik]

adjective

1. in the manner of a robot; mechanical; lacking human intelligence or emotion.

   He’s so constant and efficient that he looks robotic on the ice, and his scores for artistic performance suffer.

2. performed by a robot without active guidance from a human operator.

   Over the course of several robotic missions, NASA gathered information about the surface of Mars and its atmosphere.

Word History and Origins

Origin of robotic¹

First recorded in 1925–30; robot ( def. ) + -ic ( def. )

Example Sentences

The first two flights this year were partially successful when the booster was caught by robotic “chopstick” arms on the launchpad in South Texas. but the upper stages were lost.

From Los Angeles Times

The audio in the video, only about 11 seconds long, is clear, but slightly robotic.

From Los Angeles Times

Employees say these strict guidelines for actions like greetings and writing on cups just make them appear robotic, and in some cases, have even put employees in danger.

From Salon

"Of course not Jon," they replied in unison in robotic voices.

From BBC

She was the first woman to pilot a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the last person to “touch” the Hubble Space Telescope with the space shuttle’s robotic arm.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• automatic 
• computerized www.thesaurus.com
• electrical 
• electronic 
• mechanical 
• mechanized www.thesaurus.com