Automatic Definition
ôtə-mătĭk
automatics
adjective
Acting or operating in a manner essentially independent of external influence or control.
An automatic light switch; a budget deficit that triggered automatic spending cuts.
American Heritage
Done without conscious thought or volition, as if mechanically.
Webster's New World
Self-regulating.
An automatic washing machine.
American Heritage
Involuntary or reflex, as some muscle or gland action.
Webster's New World
Acting or done without volition or conscious control; involuntary.
Automatic shrinking of the pupils of the eyes in strong light.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
noun
automatics
An automatic machine or device.
American Heritage
An automatic (or, popularly, semiautomatic) firearm.
Webster's New World
An automatic firearm.
American Heritage
Any automatic machine.
Webster's New World
A semiautomatic firearm.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
- automatic pistol
- machine rifle
- automatic-rifle
- self-mover
- peashooter
- indeliberate
- flamethrower
- blowgun
- spontaneity
- robot
- mechanization
- golem
- automaton
- automatism
- automation
idiom
on automatic
- Functioning by or as if by automatic machine or device.
American Heritage
Other Word Forms of Automatic
Noun
Singular:
automatic
Plural:
automaticsIdioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Automatic
- on automatic
Origin of Automatic
-
From French automatique, from Ancient Greek αὐτόματον (automaton), neuter of αὐτόματος (automatos, “self-moving, moving of oneself, self-acting, spontaneous”), from αὐτός (autos, “self, myself”) + μέμαα (memaa, “to wish eagerly, strive, yearn, desire”).
From Wiktionary
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From Greek automatos auto- auto- -matos willing men-1 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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