automaton

/ɔːˈtɒmətən/ (bre, ipa) · /ɔːˈtɑːmətən/ (ame, ipa) · /ȯ-ˈtä-mə-tən -mə-ˌtän/ (ame, mw)

automaton — noun

  • automatonsingular
  • automatonsplural

1. a machine or small robot that operates by following a fixed set of instructions,

1.名詞B2
釋義

a machine or small robot that operates by following a fixed set of instructions, without needing a person to control it moment by moment.

例句

The museum displayed a 200-year-old automaton of a woman playing a harp, its tiny wooden fingers plucking each string.

automaton of a woman — describes the form

Diego programmed a small automaton to roll across the workshop floor and sweep dust into a corner bin.

同義詞
  • robot

    broader and much more common; automaton emphasises a fixed, mechanical sequence rather than programmable intelligence

  • android

    specifically a robot that looks like a human; automaton can be any shape

  • mechanical figure

    more descriptive and less technical; used especially for museum pieces

文法句型

a(n) + automaton

automaton + of [person/animal]

用法筆記

More specific than robot — this sense emphasises a fixed, mechanical sequence of actions rather than intelligent or adaptive behaviour. It covers both historical clockwork figures of people or animals and modern programmable robots.

常見錯誤

❌I bought an automaton vacuum cleaner.
✅I bought a robotic vacuum cleaner.
💡For ordinary household appliances, 'robotic' or 'automatic' is more natural than 'automaton'.
❌The car is an automaton that drives itself.
✅The car has an automatic driving system.
💡'Automaton' is rarely used for modern self-driving technology; use 'autonomous' or 'self-driving' instead.

2. a person who does things without thinking or feeling, as if they are following a

2.名詞B2
釋義

a person who does things without thinking or feeling, as if they are following a fixed programme — often used to describe someone tired, bored, or working on a repetitive task.

例句

After hours of typing numbers into a spreadsheet, Yuki felt like an automaton, barely aware of what she was doing.

like an automaton — simile for mechanical behaviour

Amara noticed that the cashier moved like an automaton, scanning items and taking money without once looking at the customers.

同義詞
  • robot

    the most common synonym for both sense 1 and sense 2; 'robot' can be neutral or critical depending on context

  • drone

    emphasises a person who does boring, repetitive work without complaint

  • zombie

    stronger and more informal; suggests a person who is exhausted or mindless rather than merely mechanical

反義詞
  • free thinker

    someone who thinks independently rather than following routines mechanically

  • original

    a person who is creative and unpredictable, the opposite of machine-like behaviour

文法句型

like an automaton

turn/be/become an automaton

用法筆記

Almost always used critically or pityingly — you would not call someone an automaton as a compliment. Common in similes with 'like' and in expressions such as 'turn into an automaton'. Distinguish from sense 1 (AUTOMATIC MACHINE): here the subject is always a person, never a machine.

常見錯誤

❌My new computer is an automaton; it works really fast.
✅My new computer works really fast.
💡Computers are not called automatons; the word has a negative or neutral feel, not positive.
❌She danced like an automaton, gracefully and precisely.
✅She danced like an automaton, stiffly and without expression.
💡The simile implies mechanical, lifeless movement, not skill.