mechanical

1 of 2

adjective

me·​chan·​i·​cal mi-ˈka-ni-kəl 

1

a(1)

: of or relating to machinery (see machinery sense 1) or tools

mechanical applications of science

a mechanical genius

mechanical aptitude

(2)

: produced or operated by a machine or tool

mechanical power

a mechanical refrigerator

a mechanical saw

b

: of or relating to manual operations

2

: of or relating to artisans (see artisan sense 1) or machinists

the mechanical trades

3

a

: done as if by machine : seemingly uninfluenced by the mind or emotions : automatic

busy in a leisurely mechanical way

—Douglas Stewart

b

: of or relating to technicalities or petty matters

nor was any capacity shown for anything above a mechanical handling of the matter

—H. O. Taylor

4

a

: relating to, governed by, or in accordance with the principles of mechanics

mechanical energy

b

: relating to the quantitative relations of force and matter

mechanical pressure of wind on a tower

5

: caused by, resulting from, or relating to a process that involves a purely physical as opposed to a chemical or biological change or process

mechanical erosion of rock

mechanically

mi-ˈka-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

mechanical

2 of 2

noun

1

: a piece of finished copy consisting typically of type proofs and artwork positioned and mounted for photomechanical reproduction

2

obsolete : mechanic sense 1

Synonyms

Adjective

• automatic
• instinctive
• instinctual
• involuntary
• knee-jerk
• mechanic
• robotic
• spontaneous

Choose the Right Synonym for mechanical

spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive, automatic, mechanical mean acting or activated without deliberation.

spontaneous implies lack of prompting and connotes naturalness.

a spontaneous burst of applause

impulsive implies acting under stress of emotion or spirit of the moment.

impulsive acts of violence

instinctive stresses action involving neither judgment nor will.

blinking is an instinctive reaction

automatic implies action engaging neither the mind nor the emotions and connotes a predictable response.

his denial was automatic

mechanical stresses the lifeless, often perfunctory character of the response.

a mechanical teaching method

Examples of mechanical in a Sentence

Adjective

The flight was delayed because of mechanical problems.

I was impressed by her mechanical know-how.

She gave a mechanical reply.

Copying down the numbers is a boring and mechanical job.

The actor gave a stiff and mechanical performance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Driving through deep water can also negatively affect a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems. —Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024

County patients wind up in mechanical restraints at high rates, partly because of their frustration at being locked in for months or years. —Alex Barnard, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024

According to the outlet, police said the vehicle began experiencing mechanical issues, prompting him to pull over on the right shoulder of the highway. —Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

That’s not the only detail designed to appeal to devotees of mechanical watchmaking. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024

There will also be line dance lessons, a mechanical bull, ax throwing and a food festival with more than 30 food trucks, according to the Country in the Park website. —Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024

While many ocean energy projects think big, laying large buoys that convert waves into electricity through mechanical means, there is another approach to developing wave energy: going small. —IEEE Spectrum, 9 Apr. 2024

Chub had gone on to become an electrical engineer, honing his faculty for all things mechanical and computational. —Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

This is the latest in a string of mechanical issues to plague Boeing aircraft across a range of airlines over the past several months even as the company has faced years of scrutiny regarding the safety of its planes. —Alexandra Banner, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

Noun

That wasn’t sufficient for Brabus, who promptly shoehorned another 300 ponies in after increasing the displacement to 5.9-liters, then re-optimizing and upgrading many of the mechanicals. —Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024

Under the review, both organizations must show compliance with the Music Modernization Act, which was passed in 2018 to replace the old song-by-song licensing system for digital streaming services with a new blanket license for musical work mechanicals. —Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2024

The landmark 2018 law created a new blanket license for musical work mechanicals, replacing the previous song-by-song licensing system that proved to be complicated and ineffective for both digital services and the music business. —Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 18 Jan. 2024

The law created a new blanket license for musical work mechanicals, replacing the previous piece-meal licensing system that was complicated for both digital services like Spotify and Apple Music and for the music business. —Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2023

Superb driving position, slick and precise mechanicals. —Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 31 Aug. 2023

And the same could be said for the mechanicals, as there’s a lot of familiar hardware under that new sheet metal. —Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 18 Aug. 2023

The mechanicals remained the same as the previous 4104 model: a 300-hp 7.7-liter V-8, a three-speed automatic transmission, and a curb weight of roughly 7000 pounds. —Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 20 July 2023

Before mechanicals, these original action pieces relied on sand and a wheel to initiate movement. —Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 13 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing mechanical

• mechanical drawing
• mechanical advantage
• mechanical engineering
• mechanical ventilation
• mechanical ventilator
• mechanical pencil

Kids Definition

mechanical

adjective

me·​chan·​i·​cal

mi-ˈkan-i-kəl

1

a

: of or relating to machinery

mechanical skill

b

: made or operated by a machine or machinery

a mechanical toy

2

: done as if by machine : impersonal

gave a mechanical reply

3

: relating to or according with the principles of mechanics

mechanically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Medical Definition

mechanical

adjective

me·​chan·​i·​cal mi-ˈkan-i-kəl 

1

: relating to the quantitative relations of force and matter

mechanical pressure exerted by the bubbles in the tissues

—H. G. Armstrong

2

: caused by, resulting from, or relating to physical as opposed to biological or chemical processes or change

mechanical injury

mechanical asphyxiation

mechanically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb