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unmechanical

unmechanical

8.4
Not good at using or fixing machines and tools
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈmɛkənɪkəl/
translation icon : no mecánico
  • His unmechanical nature showed when he couldn't even assemble the simple toy.

Examples

  • Although she loved science, she was unmechanical and found it hard to build anything.

  • He felt unmechanical when he struggled to fix the broken lawnmower.

  • The joy in that place I remember as absolutely unmechanical.

    Fiction book (1997)

Synonyms

uncoordinated
vsunmechanical
6 4.8

Not able to move with control so movements look clumsy

refers instead to poor skill working with machines, not body control
unskillful
vsunmechanical
1 4.4

Not able to do something well

is limited to lack of skill specifically with machines or mechanical tasks
nonmechanical
vsunmechanical
7.2

A person who is not good at fixing or understanding machines

is identical in meaning but uses a different negative prefix
unhandy
vsunmechanical
5.2

Clumsy with hands when doing simple tasks

focuses instead on poor ability with machines rather than hand awkwardness

Antonyms

172 3.5

Having special training and ability to do a job well

How Skilled

expert
3 3.5
skilled
172 3.5
competent
114 3.6
unmechanical
8.4
inexperienced
66 3.4
inept
49 5.0

Surface Forms

unmechanical positive

Morphology

unmechanical = mechanical (transparent) = un + mechanic + al

The adjective 'mechanical' is a clear base and the productive prefix 'un-' simply negates it, so the resulting meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Unmechanical is formed from the prefix un- meaning 'not' and mechanical, which comes from a Greek word for a 'machine' and is the same idea behind mechanic. So, unmechanical describes a person who is 'not' good with machines or simple mechanical tasks.