adj.
- (of a device or process) working by itself with little or no direct human control.
▸(of a firearm) self-loading and able to fire continuously.
- done or occurring without conscious thought.
- (of a penalty or legal sanction) necessary and inevitable, as a result of a fixed rule or particular set of circumstances.
n.
an automatic machine or device.
Derivative
- automatically adv.
- automaticity n.
- automatization
or automatisation n. - automatize
or automatise v.
Etymology
C18: from Gk automatos (see automaton) + -ic.