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robotic

robotic

12 5.2
Behaving like a machine, showing no feeling or interest
  • adjective
  • /roʊˈbɑːtɪk/
translation icon : robótico
  • You can't praise them with a sort of dull, robotic tone in your voice.
  • robotic voice
  • robotic way
  • robotic motion

It's it's a reflex isn't like a robotic response.

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Examples

  • I don't know if he was robotic or just nervous; defiant or just embarrassed.

    Blog text (16)
  • I read a post the other day that sounded so robotic it turned me off.

    Blog text (1)
  • Because the effect that that has is you sound robotic on camera and it's really hard to understand the end of words.

  • Everything was robotic from the minute of going into the room with somebody and the minute you leave, you just switch off.

  • I know after a while it can become very robotic, but to me, that's still better than not doing it at all.

  • But the motion of his arm was robotic, jabbing the air as he came closer to me.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Like she's very robotic about the whole thing, which left me feeling like a little bit empty about the whole affair.

  • Which ends up being a very robotic experience and nobody cares what's on that checklist.

  • Oren has robotic movements and this robotic speech, it's a glitch, like he's a computer.

  • She spoke in a robotic tone, without any emotion in her voice.

Synonyms

automatic
vsrobotic
48 3.7

Done without thinking, like a quick natural reaction

is about seeming unfeeling and controlled not just unconscious action
mechanical
vsrobotic
39 3.9

Moving or acting like a machine without feeling

is more about rule-driven absence of feeling rather than mere routine movement
machinelike
vsrobotic
1 6.7

Acting in a very exact, automatic way without showing feeling

is more about being unfeeling and controlled rather than merely precise
robotlike
vsrobotic
6.8

Acting like a machine without feeling or choice

is seen as externally controlled rather than only lacking thought
automatonlike
vsrobotic
  • Offensive
9.3

Showing no feeling and acting like a machine

is about being controlled and emotionless rather than merely unspontaneous

Antonyms

535 2.1

Showing strong feelings that are easy to see

165 2.1

Caring about other people's needs and feelings

Compounds

robotic telesurgery
  • Specialized
7.2

Surgery using robotic tools that a surgeon controls from far away

How Emotionless

robotic
12 5.2
detached
27 5.5
unemotional
11 4.4
calm
735 1.0

Surface Forms

robotic positive

Morphology

robotic = robot (semi-transparent) = robot + ic

The sense is a figurative extension from 'relating to robots' to 'mechanical or unfeeling'; the derivation is clear but the pragmatic/figurative nuance requires an additional inference.

Etymology

Robotic comes from the Czech robota ('forced work') and the word robot, a machine with no feelings. That's why robotic can describe people or actions that seem automatic, mechanical, or unfeeling.