automatic

English

Alternative forms

• automatick

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk/, X-SAMPA: /%O:t@"m{tIk/
• (US) IPA: /ˌɔtəˈmætɪk/, X-SAMPA: /%Ot@"m{tIk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ætɪk

Adjective

automatic (not comparable)

1. Capable of operating without external control or intervention.

   The automatic clothes washer was a great labor-saving device

2. Done out of habit or without conscious thought.

   The reaction was automatic: flight!

3. (of a firearm such as a machine gun) Firing continuously as long as the trigger is pressed until ammunition is exhausted.
4. (computing, of a local variable) Automatically added to and removed from the stack during the course of function calls.

Synonyms

• (without conscious thought): perfunctory, thoughtless, instinctive

Antonyms

• (capable of operating without external control): manual
• (without conscious thought): voluntary

Derived terms

• automatically
• automaticity
• automatic transmission
• automatical

Related terms

• automagical
• automat
• automaton
• automation
• automatization
• automatize
• automobile
• autopilot

Translations

capable of operating without external control

• Albanian: automatik (sq)
• Bulgarian: автоматичен (bg) (avtomatičen)
• Catalan: automàtic (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自動的 (cmn), 自动的 (cmn) (zìdòng de)

• Czech: automatický (cs) m
• Danish: automatik (da)
• Dutch: automatisch (nl)
• Finnish: automaattinen (fi)
• German: automatisch (de)
• Greek: αυτόματος (el) (aftómatos) m
• Icelandic: sjálfvirkur (is) m
• Italian: automatico (it)
• Japanese: 自動な (jidō na); 自動的な (jidōteki na)
• Khmer: ស្វ័យប្រវត្ត (km)

• Kyrgyz: автоматтык (ky) (avtomattık), автоматтуу (ky) (avtomattuu), автоматтуу түрдө (ky) (avtomattuu türdö), өзүнөн өзү (ky) (özünön özü), машиналуу түрдө (ky) (maşinaluu türdö), эс катышпастан (ky) (es katışpastan), эрксиз (ky) (erksiz), аргасыз (ky) (argasız), айласыз (ky) (aylasız), аңсыз (ky) (añsız), акылдан тыш (ky) (akıldan tış), механикалык (ky) (mehanikalık), машинадай (ky) (maşinaday), адатынча (ky) (adatınça), өзү жүрүүчү (ky) (özü cürüüçü), өзү кыймылдоочу (ky) (özü kıymıldooçu)
• Luxembourgish: automatesch (lb)
• Macedonian: автоматски (mk) (avtomátski) m
• Malay: automatik (ms)
• Persian: خودکار (fa) (xodkâr)
• Polish: automatyczny (1,3), samoczynny (1)
• Romanian: automat (ro) m and n, automată (ro) f
• Russian: автоматический (ru) (avtomatíčeskij)
• Slovene: avtomatski, avtomatičen
• Spanish: automático (es) m
• Swedish: automatisk (sv)
• Vietnamese: tự động (vi)
• Welsh: hunanysgogol (cy)

acting without conscious thought

• Albanian: automatik (sq)
• Bulgarian: неволен (bg) (nevolen), машинален (bg) (mašinalen)
• Catalan: automàtic (ca)
• Czech: automatický (cs) m
• Dutch: automatisch (nl), gedachtenloos, mechanisch
• Finnish: automaattinen (fi)
• German: automatisch (de)
• Greek: αυτόματος (el) (aftómatos) m
• Icelandic: sjálfvirkur (is) m

• Italian: automatico (it)
• Macedonian: автоматски (mk) (avtomátski), механички (mk) (mehánički)
• Polish: odruchowy m
• Romanian: automat (ro) m and n
• Russian: автоматический (ru) (avtomatíčeskij), механический (ru) (mexaníčeskij), машинальный (ru) (mašinál'nyj)
• Slovene: avtomatski, avtomatičen
• Swedish: automatisk (sv)
• Vietnamese: tự nhiên (vi)

describing a firearm which fires continuously

• Albanian: automatik (sq)
• Bulgarian: автоматичен (bg) (avtomatičen)
• Czech: automatický (cs) m
• Dutch: automatisch (nl)
• Finnish: automaattinen (fi), sarjatuli- (fi)
• French: automatique (fr)
• German: automatisch (de)
• Greek: αυτόματο (el) (aftómato) n, αυτόματος (el) (aftómatos) m
• Icelandic: sjálfvirkur (is) m

• Italian: automatico (it)
• Macedonian: автоматски (mk) (avtomátski) m, автоматска (mk) (avtomátskа) f, автоматско (mk) (avtomátsko) n
• Polish: automatyczny m
• Russian: автоматический (ru) (avtomatíčeskij)
• Slovene: avtomatski
• Spanish: automático (es)
• Swedish: automatisk (sv)
• Vietnamese: tự động

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: emlusk
• Esperanto: aŭtomata
• Icelandic: sjálfvirkur (1,2,3)
• Ido: automata
• Indonesian: otomatis

• Slovak: automatický
• Telugu: ఆటోమాటిక్
• Turkish: otomatik

Noun

automatic (plural automatics)

1. A car with automatic transmission.

   I never learned to drive a stick. I can only drive an automatic.

2. A semi-automatic firearm.

Antonyms

• (car with automatic transmission): stick, stickshift; manual transmission; standard transmission

Translations

A car with automatic transmission

• Dutch: automaat (nl) m
• German: Auto mit Automatikgetriebe n
• Macedonian: автоматик (mk) (avtomátik) m

• Russian: автомат (ru) (avtomát) m
• Slovene: avtomatik (sl) m
• Spanish: automático (es) m

A semi-automatic pistol

• Bulgarian: автомат (bg) (avtomat)
• French: semi-automatique (fr) m
• Macedonian: полуавтоматски пиштол (mk) (poluavtomátski píštol) m

• Russian: автомат (ru) (avtomát) m
• Spanish: semi-automática (es) f