Definition

1. Noun:
   • A self-operating machine or mechanism, especially one that follows a predetermined sequence of operations: An "automaton" is a device that performs a function or a series of actions automatically, often imitating the movements of a living being.
   • A person who acts in a routine, mechanical, or unthinking way: An "automaton" can describe a person whose actions or responses seem automatic, lacking spontaneity, emotion, or independent thought.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Machine):
  • The 18th-century automaton could write a short message with a quill pen.
  • Ancient engineers created intricate automatons powered by water or clockwork.
• Noun (Person):
  • After working on the assembly line for years, he felt like an automaton, performing the same motions without thinking.
  • She responded to the questions with the dull repetition of an automaton.

Advanced Usage

• "Like an automaton": Used as a simile to describe behavior that is mechanical, unemotional, or robotic.
  • He completed the paperwork like an automaton, his mind elsewhere.
• In philosophy and cognitive science: The term is used in discussions about consciousness and free will, such as in the "philosophical zombie" or automaton thought experiments.

Variants and Related Words

• Automata (n, plural): The standard plural form of "automaton."
  • The museum's collection features several 19th-century automata.
• Automated (adj): Operated by automation.
  • The factory has a fully automated production line.
• Automatic (adj): Working by itself with little or no direct human control.
  • The doors have an automatic sensor.

Synonyms

• Robot: A machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically.
• Machine: A device using mechanical power and having several parts.
• Puppet: A person or entity whose actions are controlled by others (for the figurative sense).
• Drone: A person who does tedious work or who behaves in an unthinking way.

Related Phrases

• To behave like an automaton: To act in a mechanical, unthinking manner.
  • In the face of the tragedy, she just behaved like an automaton, going through the motions of daily life.

Related Idioms

• A cog in the machine: This idiom shares a similar figurative meaning, describing a person who is a small, seemingly insignificant part of a large system.
  • He felt like just a cog in the machine, an automaton with no real influence.

Noun

1. a mechanism that can move automatically
2. someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
   • only an automaton wouldn't have noticed