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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

Examples 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 Because the mechanical shark didn’t work, Spielberg was forced to pull back on it and instead rely on the theme as a stand-in for its unseen evocation of terror. Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2024 An intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is a type of mechanical device used to assist blood flow. Christopher Lee, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2024 So, the team is trying to fill those knowledge gaps by building energy-efficient fish robots with mechanical joints, muscles and ligaments. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024 Both the mainline entries and Warzone are iterating upon each other as Warzone takes on mechanical innovations such as movement changes while titles like Modern Warfare III have utilized the battle royale’s maps and armor system within their campaigns. Cade Onder, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mechanical 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mechanical
Adjective
  • Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Virginia do have automatic recounts, but not for the presidential race.
    Addy Bink, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
  • According to Michigan law, an automatic recount is triggered in statewide races if the margin between the top two candidates is 2,000 votes or less.
    Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • While some can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and concerns, many are created with specific consumers and their needs in mind.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 2 Nov. 2024
  • Now Morisseau, who is half Haitian and half Black American, is exploring a new setting, that of urbane Port-au-Prince, some years after the 2010 earthquake, a natural disaster that brought to the fore, with devastating clarity, the unnatural cycles of exploitation that threaten to define Haiti.
    Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Miso Robotics has a lot riding on its ability to persuade fast-food chains to incorporate Flippy -- a robotic arm that drops fryer baskets into sizzling oil -- into their kitchens.
    Queenie Wong Los Angeles Times (TNS), arkansasonline.com, 4 Nov. 2024
  • This set of efforts is essential to enable a safe and societally stable transition to a more automated future, where cost, precision, and robotic flexibility converge with human well-being.
    Amir Husain, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Wear rubber gloves and clip a mangled licking branch (which holds the forehead and saliva scent of several bucks and does) from atop an active scrape and wire it over a mock scrape near your stand.
    Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Miller recently pitched a mock trade that would send Crochet to Philadelphia.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
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
  • The lifelong New Yorker explained his decision to pack up for Florida in a 2019 post on the social platform X, citing taxes and his strained relationships with state and local leaders.
    Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
  • In addition, there will need to be some serious operational improvements to remedy the company’s strained relationship with many current and former customers.
    Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • For one thing, markets had not significantly anticipated a Trump win in 2016, and indeed there was a reflex selloff on election night, which quickly reversed.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2024
  • Based on the title character from the Netflix show Vida the Vet, this kit contains five sensory toys for treating patients, including a stethoscope with sound effects and reflex hammer.
    Pamela Brill, Parents, 24 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Aedes aegypti mosquitoes do not need much water to reproduce and tend to lay eggs just above the water line in small, artificial sources of water, like buckets, pet dishes, fountains and bird baths, plant pots and saucers and old tires.
    Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
  • The series intends Penn to be a contrast point, to make her smooth wheeling and dealing feel artificial compared with Wyler’s more passionate righteousness, but her presence ends up emphasizing how hollow Wyler’s character actually feels.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near mechanical

Cite this Entry

“Mechanical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mechanical. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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