automaton

IPA/ɔːˈtɒmətən/
KK[ɔtˈɑmətˌɑn]IPA/ɔːˈtɑːmətən/

automaton — 名詞

  • automatonsingular
  • automatonsplural

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

1.名詞B2
釋義

自動機器

按固定程序運作的機械人或裝置

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.

博物館展示了一座兩百年前的自動機器，是一個彈奏豎琴的女子造型，木製小手指一一撥動琴弦。

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.

Diego 把一個小型自動機器設定好程式，讓它滾過工作室地板，把灰塵掃進角落的垃圾桶。

常見搭配
  • wind-up automaton
  • clockwork automaton
  • automaton of [a person/animal]
  • program an automaton
  • automaton [verb: sorts, assembles, sweeps, bows]
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

機器人

行為機械、缺乏感情的人

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.

連續三小時在試算表輸入同樣的數字之後，Yuki 覺得自己像個機器人，幾乎不曉得自己在做什麼。

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.

Amara 注意到那位收銀員動作像個機器人，刷條碼、收錢，始終沒有抬頭看顧客一眼。

常見搭配
  • like an automaton
  • become an automaton
  • turn into an automaton
  • mindless automaton
  • emotionless automaton
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.

同根字

常見搭配

副詞搭配

介系詞搭配

  • like an automaton