noun
- plural of automaton; mechanical figures or robots that move by themselves
- 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.