automatism

1 of 2

noun (1)

au·​tom·​a·​tism ȯ-ˈtä-mə-ˌti-zəm 

1

a

: the quality or state of being automatic

b

: an automatic action

2

: the moving or functioning (as of an organ, tissue, or a body part) without conscious control that occurs either independently of external stimuli (as in the beating of the heart) or under the influence of external stimuli (as in pupil dilation)

3

: a theory that views the body as a machine and consciousness as a noncontrolling adjunct of the body

4

: suspension of the conscious mind to release subconscious images

… automatism—the surrealist trend toward spontaneity and intuition …

—Elle

automatist

ȯ-ˈtä-mə-tist 

noun or adjective

automatist

2 of 2

noun (2)

au·​tom·​a·​tist ȯ-ˈtä-mə-tist also ə-ˈtä- 

plural -s

1

: one who accepts the theory of automatism

2

a

: one that performs automatic acts

especially : one that does automatic writing

b

: medium sense 7

Examples of automatism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Amid the incredible automatism of the stage production (and life in general), Left Shark’s choreography mistakes spawned a wave of internet memes that made Katy Perry unhappy — until her lawyers saw the value and attempted to trademark Left Shark’s design. — Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026

Breton aimed to access the unconscious through dream and automatism, a surrealist technique of creating art without conscious control, allowing spontaneous expression from the subconscious mind, free from rational thought or aesthetic rules. — Sally Jane Brown, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025

Sheer repetitions on the training ground were La Volpe’s best method of instilling his ideas, insisting that his players practice multiple ‘salidas’ on the left and right side of the pitch in every session to build their muscle memory, trust and automatisms. — Mark Carey, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025

At the club, time allows automatisms and structure to become habit. — Philipp Lahm, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025

French critic Laurent Jenny, in a piece translated by Thomas Trezise, contrasts Breton and Spanish artist Salvador Dalí, who, beginning in 1930, challenged some of the ideas of automatism. — Allison C. Meier, JSTOR Daily, 19 Sep. 2024

Psychic automatism is a dubious technique but a splendid alibi, enabling many of the artists in the exhibition to get away with imagery that, if not outright cliché, looks a lot like it. — Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024

Acquaintance with surrealists who’d washed up in New York in the early 1940s introduced Motherwell to artistic automatism: spontaneous creation, without a plan. — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 16 June 2023

There are many reasons why André Breton, the ringleader of the Surrealists, after first embracing Jacob’s work, eventually rejected it, but chief among them was probably his recognition that Jacob’s literary discipline left no room for the automatism that was so important to Breton. — Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 25 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from French automatisme, from automate automaton + -isme -ism

Note: In a supplemental volume to the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot, et al., coinage of the word is attributed to réaumur: "Mot inventé par M. Réaumur, pour exprimer la qualité d'automate dans l'animal, c'est-à-dire, le systême des mouvemens qui dépendent uniquement de l'organisme du corps animé, sans que la volonté y ait aucune part. Il mérite d'être adopté." (Dictionnaire pour servir de supplément aux Dictionnaire des sciences, des arts et des métiers, tome premier [Paris and Amsterdam, 1776], p. 726) ("Word invented by M. Réaumur to express the automaton-like quality of an animal, that is, the system of movements that depend solely on the animated body, without any participation of the will. It deserves adoption.") Whatever the merits of this claim, the word automatisme can be found in a number of French texts in the eighteenth century not written by Réaumur; in the preface to a French translation (Analise des infiniment petits, comprenant le calcul integral, Paris, 1735) of Edmund Stone's The Method of Fluxions both Direct and Inverse (London, 1730), René Descartes' views on the nature of animals are alluded to as "Automatisme Cartesien."

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for automatism

• activism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism
• calvinism

Medical Definition

automatism

noun

au·​tom·​a·​tism ȯ-ˈtäm-ə-ˌtiz-əm 

1

: an automatic action

especially : any action performed without the doer's intention or awareness

2

: the power or fact of moving or functioning without conscious control either independently of external stimulation (as in the beating of the heart) or more or less directly under the influence of external stimuli (as in the dilating or contracting of the pupil of the eye)