machinelike

adjective

ma·​chine·​like mə-ˈshēn-ˌlīk How to pronounce machinelike (audio)
: resembling or suggesting a machine especially in regularity of action or stereotyped uniformity of product

Examples of machinelike in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the shadow of the first album’s breakout success, the artist followed his Quality Control peers in pivoting to overloaded projects where spirited but machinelike filler breaks up the flow between the better songs. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2022 The music for Caesar is disciplined and machinelike. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2022 Every facet of his performances was similarly somber and machinelike. New York Times, 3 May 2022 There is, to be sure, a certain logic in describing habits as machinelike. Meghan O’Gieblyn, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Jan. 2022 Shimon, which was intentionally designed to sound machinelike (listen here), is meant to be a one-of-a-kind musical collaborator—or an inhuman rap-battle opponent. Shi En Kim, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2020 Still another foursome processed Kurtag’s rigor with an exactitude almost frighteningly machinelike. Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, 22 Feb. 2018 The way Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph plays is machinelike. Nathan Ruiz, ajc, 6 Nov. 2017 As the trainees practice sewing straight lines on pieces of scrap fabric, supervisors pace the aisle, hoping to spot one with machinelike dexterity and speed. Ellen Barry, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'machinelike.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1713, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of machinelike was circa 1713

Dictionary Entries Near machinelike

Cite this Entry

“Machinelike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machinelike. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!