automaton
/,ɔ:tə'meiʃn/ Cách viết khác : (automata) /ɔ:'tɔmətə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- 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
- a mechanism that can move automatically
- someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
- only an automaton wouldn't have noticed