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Synonym Chooser

How is the word mechanical distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of mechanical are automatic, impulsive, instinctive, and spontaneous. While all these words mean "acting or activated without deliberation," mechanical stresses the lifeless, often perfunctory character of the response.

a mechanical teaching method

When might automatic be a better fit than mechanical?

While in some cases nearly identical to mechanical, automatic implies action engaging neither the mind nor the emotions and connotes a predictable response.

his denial was automatic

When would impulsive be a good substitute for mechanical?

While the synonyms impulsive and mechanical are close in meaning, impulsive implies acting under stress of emotion or spirit of the moment.

impulsive acts of violence

When can instinctive be used instead of mechanical?

The synonyms instinctive and mechanical are sometimes interchangeable, but instinctive stresses action involving neither judgment nor will.

blinking is an instinctive reaction

When is spontaneous a more appropriate choice than mechanical?

Although the words spontaneous and mechanical have much in common, spontaneous implies lack of prompting and connotes naturalness.

a spontaneous burst of applause

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mechanical While there’s real reason to be skeptical that Flagg is a legitimate shooter right now, his mechanical tweaks in addition to this run of confident shooting from behind the arc has given NBA evaluators real confidence there’s a lot to work with in regard to Flagg’s shooting. Sam Vecenie, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025 In the world of chemistry, getting polymers (long chains of large molecules) to form mechanical bonds inside their structures has proven extremely challenging. Michael Franco, New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2025 Like a mechanical wooden doll dancing to the sea shanty. Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2025 Will a mechanical dispenser be any more precise than standard teaspoons? Ars Technica, 11 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for mechanical 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mechanical
Adjective
  • Health inspectors said an automatic dishwasher was out of service and the staff had not set up a manual sanitizing station.
    Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Tedesco’s side won just one of their six matches in League A Group 2, finishing nine points behind France and Italy while avoiding automatic relegation to League B by finishing above Israel on goal difference.
    Guillermo Rai, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • And a sandbar that had severed Topanga Lagoon from the Pacific Ocean had been swept away by high tides and an influx of water used for firefighting — an unnatural breach that could flush them into the surf.
    Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Their conversation is interspersed with other footage from the series, including the trademark brutal fight scenes—complete with bones breaking in various unnatural ways.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Asked what would happen to Gateway if SLS is cancelled, Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA's director of human and robotic exploration, responded that the cancellation would only impact ESA if no other launcher were able to transport Orion and the ESM to lunar orbit.
    Andrew Jones, Space.com, 16 Jan. 2025
  • To do that, someone would likely need to create a type of digital skin that would attach to a robotic limb and rapidly collect and interpret data about the world.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • One person that many pay attention to is Mel Kiper, who has been a mock draft extraordinaire for decades.
    Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
  • The following scenes are set in that show and tell the ogre's story through life-size wooden puppets complete with mock strings attached to their arms.
    Caroline Reid, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Harroun installed it with a bracket above the dashboard rather than have a mechanic ride in the race with him, as was the custom of the day.
    George Petras, USA TODAY, 24 May 2024
  • When Part 4 was released in August 2023, mechanic Bennie was losing his garage.
    Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Adjective
  • Proponents of this theory point to Kennedy's strained relationship with the CIA after the Bay of Pigs blunder, as well as differences over how the U.S. should have approached Vietnam.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
  • On top of all of this, Sirianni reportedly had a strained relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts, something the two tried to hash out during the team’s bye week this season.
    Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • When the reflex actions are prevented, those muscle movements that ultimately cause the quick spoilage don’t occur.
    Simon Mainwaring, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Basal tears keep the eye moist, while reflex tears are meant to protect the eye from irritants like dust.
    Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Why is red 40 banned? California became the first state in the U.S. to enact a ban red 40 in September, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that will prohibit schools from serving foods containing six artificial food dyes, including red 40.
    Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
  • For example, as Jun Wu, another Forbes contributor, explains, empathy—an attribute often missing in AI—is crucial for artificial general intelligence and an essential characteristic of synths.
    Mary Crossan, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near mechanical

Cite this Entry

“Mechanical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mechanical. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on mechanical

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