automatic pilot
1
5.0
- noun
- /ˈɔːtəmætɪk ˈpaɪlət/
- Informal
:
modo automático
- She realized she was functioning on automatic pilot while driving, lost in her thoughts and unaware of her surroundings.
But his idea is that we walk around asleep, we're on automatic pilot constantly.
- But his idea is that we walk around asleep, we're on automatic pilot constantly.
Examples
-
He was on automatic pilot again, talking as they drifted down the drive.
Fiction book (1999) -
But his idea is that we walk around asleep, we're on automatic pilot constantly.
-
"She'd had this conversation a thousand times; she could hold up her end on automatic pilot.
Fiction book (1999) -
It was like being on automatic pilot.
Fiction book (1991) -
It was as though Karen were on automatic pilot.
Fiction book (1992) -
About ninety percent of the time, Jannie gave the appearance of being on automatic pilot.
Fiction book (1991) -
During the meeting, he spoke as if he were on automatic pilot, answering questions without really thinking.
-
Most mornings, I go to work on automatic pilot, completing my routine tasks without paying much attention.
Synonyms
20
4.1
Doing tasks without thinking because of habit
16
5.1
A state when a person does things automatically without thinking, often from habit or lack of attention
1
9.9
Actions done without thinking, often during a seizure or while sleepwalking
Working without human control, often in a machine or system
Antonyms
How Automatic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'automatic' (self-operating) and 'pilot' (operator) transparently combine to suggest the idea of automatic control — learners who know both words can infer the literal sense (as in an aircraft's autopilot). However, its use for human behaviour is a metaphorical extension (meaning acting without conscious thought) and the pragmatic nuance may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Automatic pilot was later used for people who act without thinking because of that machine image: a plane steered without a human. Saying you are on 'automatic pilot' means your body or mind works like the device, doing things without thinking.