mechanical

[ muh-kan-i-kuh l ]

/ məˈkæn ɪ kəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR mechanical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having to do with machinery: a mechanical failure.

being a machine; operated by machinery: a mechanical toy.

caused by or derived from machinery: mechanical propulsion.

using machine parts only.

brought about by friction, abrasion, etc.: a mechanical bond between stones; mechanical erosion.

pertaining to the design, use, understanding, etc., of tools and machinery: the mechanical trades; mechanical ability.

acting or performed without spontaneity, spirit, individuality, etc.: a mechanical performance.

habitual; routine; automatic: Practice that step until it becomes mechanical.

belonging or pertaining to the subject matter of mechanics.

pertaining to, or controlled or effected by, physical forces.

(of a philosopher or philosophical theory) explaining phenomena as due to mechanical action or the material forces of the universe.

subordinating the spiritual to the material; materialistic.

noun

a mechanical object, part, device, etc.

Printing. a sheet of stiff paper on which has been pasted artwork and type proofs for making a printing plate; paste-up.

Obsolete. a skilled manual laborer, as a carpenter or other artisan.

Origin of mechanical

1375–1425; late Middle English, equivalent to mechanic mechanical + -al¹; see mechanic

OTHER WORDS FROM mechanical

me·chan·i·cal·ly, adverb me·chan·i·cal·ness, me·chan·i·cal·i·ty, noun non·me·chan·i·cal, adjective non·me·chan·i·cal·ly, adverb

non·me·chan·i·cal·ness, noun qua·si-me·chan·i·cal, adjective qua·si-me·chan·i·cal·ly, adverb sem·i·me·chan·i·cal, adjective su·per·me·chan·i·cal, adjective su·per·me·chan·i·cal·ly, adverb un·me·chan·i·cal, adjective un·me·chan·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby mechanical

meccano, mech., mechan-, mechanic, mechanic's lien, mechanical, mechanical advantage, mechanical alternation, mechanical antidote, mechanical bank, mechanical drawing

Example sentences from the Web for mechanical

He once told me that he only vaguely understood “the mechanical aspects of sex” until he was in his early twenties.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days |David Freeman |December 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Three of the six members of the group work on the channel full time, but Sep has a full time job as a mechanical engineer.

The Addictive Curse of ‘Let’s Plays’ |Tom Sykes |November 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
There is something about a firefight at night, something about the mechanical elegance of an M-60 machine gun.

War Is Hell and Such Good Fun |Don Gomez |November 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
As a result, the images can be much more detailed and the equipment less subject to mechanical problems.

The USSR’s Race to the Moon’s Far Side |Matthew R. Francis |October 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

These are, in mechanical terms, simple fixes; politically, a nigh-impossible slog.

How to Make Campaign Finance Reform Sexy |Nancy Kaffer |September 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Man is far superior in dealing with numbers and also with tools and mechanical things.

Psychology |Robert S. Woodworth
A mechanical banjo suddenly added its metallic noise to the din, fit music, it seemed, for such obscene company.

The Duke Of Chimney Butte |G. W. Ogden
No insignificant proof this of the mechanical skill of the eleventh century.

The Art of Needle-work, from the Earliest Ages, 3rd ed. |Elizabeth Stone
At this stage Watt himself was more fertile in mechanical inventions than in any other portion of his busy life.

Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 6 of 8 |Various
The circumstances to which I allude date back to the Exposition of 1844, when I submitted my automata and mechanical curiosities.

Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, author and conjurer |Jean Henri Robert-Houdin

British Dictionary definitions for mechanical

mechanical

/ (mɪˈkænɪkəl) /

adjective

made, performed, or operated by or as if by a machine or machinery a mechanical process

concerned with machines or machinery

relating to or controlled or operated by physical forces

of or concerned with mechanics

(of a gesture, etc) automatic; lacking thought, feeling, etc

philosophy accounting for phenomena by physically determining forces

(of paper, such as newsprint) made from pulp that has been mechanically ground and contains impurities

noun

printing another name for camera-ready copy

archaic another word for mechanic (def. 2)

Derived forms of mechanical

mechanicalism, noun mechanically, adverb mechanicalness, noun

Medical definitions for mechanical

mechanical

[ mĭ-kăn′ĭ-kəl ]

adj.

Operated or produced by a mechanism or machine.

Relating to, produced by, or dominated by physical forces.

Interpreting and explaining the phenomena of the universe by referring to causally determined material forces; mechanistic.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

mechanical

adjective

noun

Origin of mechanical

OTHER WORDS FROM mechanical

Words nearby mechanical

Example sentences from the Web for mechanical

British Dictionary definitions for mechanical

adjective

noun

Derived forms of mechanical

Medical definitions for mechanical

adj.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

mechanical

adjective

noun

Origin of mechanical

OTHER WORDS FROM mechanical

Words nearby mechanical

Words related to mechanical

Example sentences from the Web for mechanical

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for mechanical

adjective

noun

Derived forms of mechanical

Medical definitions for mechanical

adj.

British Dictionary definitions for mechanical