1. plural of automaton; mechanical figures or robots that move by themselves
2. people who act mechanically without thinking or feeling
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The museum displayed several 18th-century automatons that could write and play music.
• Ancient Greek myths told of golden automatons created by the gods.
• The factory workers moved like automatons on the assembly line.
• She criticized people who lived like automatons, never questioning authority.
• The clockmaker specialized in creating intricate automatons for wealthy collectors.
• After years of routine, they had become automatons going through the motions.
• The chess-playing automatons amazed audiences in the 1700s.