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Recent Examples of automatism
At the club, time allows automatisms and structure to become habit.
—
Philipp Lahm, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Their players look connected, know where each other are and play with fluidity and automatism.
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
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
Van Norman, however, points out that some exhibit spinal automatism, a complex spectrum of movements including flexion of limbs and trunk, stepping motions, grasping motions, and head turning.
—Dick Teresi, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2012
Other analysts countered that the defense would be successful in only a minuscule number of cases and that there is a difference between extreme intoxication and extreme intoxication akin to automatism.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 13 May 2022
Philipp Lahm, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Their players look connected, know where each other are and play with fluidity and automatism.
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
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
Van Norman, however, points out that some exhibit spinal automatism, a complex spectrum of movements including flexion of limbs and trunk, stepping motions, grasping motions, and head turning.
—Dick Teresi, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2012
Other analysts countered that the defense would be successful in only a minuscule number of cases and that there is a difference between extreme intoxication and extreme intoxication akin to automatism.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 13 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for automatism
Noun
-
Few tools have undergone as radical a reappraisal in high-performance coaching circles as hypnosis.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
To maximize its safety and effectiveness, Sultan recommended hypnosis by a qualified professional.—
Shiv Sudhakar,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
Noun
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This hypnotism is especially conveyed through the film’s costumes.—
Eugenie Dalland,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2025
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Other topics of his lectures over the years that followed included animal magnetism, hypnotism, and the ether.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
12 Apr. 2024
Noun
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Barrymore’s turn in the lead role is itself a feat of silver-screen mesmerism, portraying Svengali as a cruel yet magnetic figure who wields his own charisma as an instrument of terrible power.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2025
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But there’s a strange sort of mesmerism around it.—
Rebecca Keegan,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Automatism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/automatism. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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