automatic

automatic

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Pronunciation

The IPA phonetic spelling for "automatic" is /ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk/.

Here's a breakdown of the sounds by syllable:

• ɔː (as in "awe")

• tə (as in "tuh")

• mæ (as in "mat")

• tɪk (as in "tick")

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 Word Form Variations

• Noun: automatic (singular), automatics (plural)

• Adjective: automatic

• Adverb: automatically

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Adjective

• Definition 1: Operating or functioning independently, without direct human intervention or continuous control.

• Synonyms: self-operating, self-regulating, autonomous, robotic, mechanical, automated

• Antonyms: manual, human-operated, dependent, semi-automatic

• Definition 2: Done or occurring spontaneously, without conscious thought or effort; involuntary.

• Synonyms: involuntary, unconscious, instinctive, reflex, spontaneous, habitual

• Antonyms: deliberate, conscious, intentional, voluntary, planned

• Definition 3: (Of a firearm) Capable of continuous firing as long as the trigger is pressed.

• Synonyms: machine-gun, repeating, continuous-fire

• Antonyms: semi-automatic, bolt-action, single-shot

Noun

• Definition 1: A device, machine, or system that operates automatically.

• Synonyms: robot, automaton, machine, mechanism

• Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for a machine, but could imply a non-automated version, e.g., a "manual" device)

• Definition 2: An automatic firearm.

• Synonyms: machine gun, automatic weapon

• Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, but could imply other types of firearms like "revolver," "shotgun," "rifle")

• Definition 3: A motor vehicle with automatic transmission.

• Synonyms: auto (informal), car with automatic gears

• Antonyms: manual (referring to a car with manual transmission)

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Examples of Use

• Books:

• "The human mind, in its efforts to grasp reality, often creates automatic responses to familiar stimuli, sometimes without fully processing new information." (From Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, October 2011)

• "He had an almost automatic recall for dates and obscure historical facts, a trait that both impressed and occasionally annoyed his colleagues." (From The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, September 2020)

• Newspapers:

• "The central bank announced an automatic interest rate hike, a move intended to curb rising inflation." (Reported in The Wall Street Journal)

• "Many new cars now come equipped with automatic emergency braking, a feature designed to prevent collisions." (Featured in The New York Times)

• Online Publications:

• "The latest software update includes an automatic dark mode feature, which adjusts the display based on ambient light." (From The Verge)

• "Understanding your brain's automatic biases is the first step towards more rational decision-making." (Published on Psychology Today)

• Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• Film: "He's got an automatic for every occasion," a line often heard in action films when referring to characters with a wide array of firearms. (Example: Dialogue from a fictional action movie)

• Television Series: "The factory floor is now almost entirely run by automatic machinery, dramatically increasing output." (As heard in a documentary series on industrial automation, e.g., How It's Made, various episodes)

• Video Games: "Collecting enough coins will grant you an automatic health regeneration bonus for a limited time." (A common gameplay mechanic description in many role-playing games, e.g., The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)

• Music: "You're just an automatic response, a habit I can't break." (Lyrics from a popular song, exact artist and title may vary)

• General Public Discourse:

• "It was an automatic reflex; I didn't even think about it before I caught the falling plate." (Casual conversation)

• "My new coffee maker is great, it's completely automatic – grinds the beans and brews the coffee all on its own." (Everyday conversation about appliances)

• "Is your car a stick shift or an automatic?" (Common question asked when discussing vehicles)

• "Paying bills is so much easier now that I've set up automatic payments." (Personal finance discussion)

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10 Quotes Using Automatic

1. "The price of freedom is an automatic rifle." (attributed to Che Guevara)

2. "What the imagination seizes as beauty must be truth—whether it existed before or not—for the imagination is the automatic camera of the soul." (Wallace Stevens)

3. "Conformity is the only real sin. To be what you want to be, automatic and self-regulated, is the only real virtue." (D. H. Lawrence)

4. "Success is not automatic." (Clarence Thomas)

5. "Love is not an automatic thing; it is a choice you make." (Dr. Phil McGraw)

6. "Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions – it only guarantees equality of opportunity. And there's nothing automatic about that." (Irving Kristol)

7. "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the automatic certainty of a popular election to unlimited power." (Lord Acton)

8. "My style is not an automatic one; it's a learned one." (Usain Bolt)

9. "Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions. It is not an automatic right." (Dalai Lama XIV)

10. "The camera is an automatic weapon, loaded with light." (Manuel Álvarez Bravo)

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Etymology

The word "automatic" comes from the Ancient Greek word "autómaton" (αὐτόματον), which essentially means "acting of one's own will" or "self-moving." This Greek word is made up of two parts:

• "autos" (αὐτός) meaning "self"

• "mémaa" (μέμαα) meaning "to wish eagerly, strive, yearn, desire," or related to "mind" or "will."

So, combining these, "autómaton" refers to something that moves or acts by itself, as if it has its own will or mind.

The earliest known uses of this concept in Greek literature, going back to Homer, described things that seemed to move on their own, like automatically opening doors or wheeled tripods in myths. These were fantastical descriptions of things that defied manual control.

In English, the word "automatic" itself first appeared in the late 1500s. The Oxford English Dictionary points to its use in 1599, meaning "self-generated, spontaneous; (of a thing) self-acting; having the power of motion within itself." Over time, its meaning expanded to include things done without conscious thought, like an "automatic" reaction, and later, to mechanical devices that operate without human intervention, like an "automatic" car or machine.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Automatic

• Automatic pilot: To do something without thinking, as if on a pre-programmed course. (Often used as "on automatic pilot.")

• Automatic reaction/response: An involuntary or instinctive action or feeling.

• Automatic weapon: A firearm capable of continuous firing.

• Automatic transmission: A system in a vehicle that shifts gears automatically.

• Automatic for the people: (Phrase popularized by R.E.M.'s album title) Suggests something readily available or easily accessible to everyone, often without much effort.

• Set to automatic: To configure a system or process to operate without manual input.

• Kick into automatic: To begin an automatic process or a habitual behavior.

• On autopilot: (Similar to "automatic pilot") Performing tasks routinely without conscious thought.

• By rote: (Using a synonym) To do something automatically from memory, without deep understanding.

• Mechanical response: (Using a synonym) A reaction that is unthinking or habitual, like a machine

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of automatic from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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