Having an inherent power of action or motion. [1913 Webster]
"Nothing can be said to be automatic." [1913 Webster]
Pertaining to, or produced by, an automaton; of the nature of an automaton; self-acting or self-regulating under fixed conditions; operating with minimal human intervention; -- esp. applied to machinery or devices in which certain things formerly or usually done by hand are done by the machine or device itself; as, the automatic feed of a lathe; automatic gas lighting; an automatic engine or switch; an automatic mouse; an automatic transmission. The opposite of manual.
"Narrower terms are: autoloading(prenominal), semiautomatic ; automated, machine-controlled, machine-driven ; self-acting, self-activating, self-moving, self-regulating ; self-locking ; self-winding ." [1913 Webster]
Not voluntary; not depending on the will; mechanical; controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without conscious control; as, automatic movements or functions. The opposite of voluntary. [1913 Webster]
"Unconscious or automatic reasoning." [1913 Webster]
like the unthinking functioning of a machine. [WordNet 1.5]

Automatic arts, such economic arts or manufacture as are carried on by self-acting machinery. Ure.

automatic, n.

light machine gun. [WordNet 1.5]
a pistol that will keep firing until the ammunition is gone or the trigger is released; as, a .45 automatic. [WordNet 1.5]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

automatic, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 (of a machine, device, etc., or its function) working by itself, without direct human intervention.
2 a done spontaneously, without conscious thought or intention (an automatic reaction). b necessary and inevitable (an automatic penalty).
3 Psychol. performed unconsciously or subconsciously.
4 (of a firearm) that continues firing until the ammunition is exhausted or the pressure on the trigger is released.
5 (of a motor vehicle or its transmission) using gears that change automatically according to speed and acceleration.
--n.
1 an automatic device, esp. a gun or transmission.
2 colloq. a vehicle with automatic transmission.

Idiom

automatic pilot a device for keeping an aircraft on a set course.

Derivative

automatically adv. automaticity n.

Etymology

formed as AUTOMATON + -IC

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THESAURUS

automatic

accordant, accustomed, alike, automated, automatic device, automaton, automatous, balanced, beaten, blind, blowgun, blowpipe, casual, compulsive, conditioned, confirmed, consistent, consonant, constant, continuous, correspondent, cybernated, cyborg, equable, equal, even, firearm, flamethrower, flat, forced, frequent, gat, gun, gut, habitual, habituated, hackneyed, handgun, heater, homogeneous, ill-advised, ill-considered, ill-devised, immutable, impulsive, inadvertent, indeliberate, ineluctable, inescapable, inevitable, inherent, innate, instinctive, instinctual, invariable, involuntary, level, libidinal, measured, mechanical, mechanical man, methodic, monolithic, musket, natural, of a piece, ordered, orderly, peashooter, persistent, piece, pistol, prompt, quick, ready, recurrent, recurring, reflex, reflexive, regular, repeater, repetitive, revolver, rifle, robot, robotlike, rod, routine, sawed-off shotgun, self-acting, self-active, self-adjusting, self-closing, self-controlled, self-cooking, self-directed, self-directing, self-dumping, self-governed, self-governing, self-lighting, self-mover, self-operative, self-regulating, self-regulative, self-starting, self-winding, self-working, semiautomatic, shooting iron, shotgun, six-gun, six-shooter, smooth, snap, spontaneous, stable, steadfast, steady, stereotyped, subliminal, systematic, trite, unadvised, unavoidable, unbroken, uncalculated, unchangeable, unchanged, unchanging, unconscious, unconsidered, undeliberate, undeliberated, undesigned, undeviating, undifferentiated, undiversified, uniform, unintended, unintentional, unlearned, unmeditated, unpremeditated, unprompted, unruffled, unstudied, unthinking, unvaried, unvarying, unwilled, unwilling, unwitting, well-trodden, well-worn

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ROGET THESAURUS

automatic

Necessity

N necessity, involuntariness, instinct, blind impulse, inborn proclivity, innate proclivity, native tendency, natural tendency, natural impulse, predetermination, necessity, necessitation, obligation, compulsion, subjection, stern necessity, hard necessity, dire necessity, imperious necessity, inexorable necessity, iron necessity, adverse necessity, fate, what must be, destiny, destination, fatality, fate, kismet, doom, foredoom, election, predestination, preordination, foreordination, lot fortune, fatalism, inevitableness, spell, star, stars, planet, planets, astral influence, sky, Fates, Parcae, Sisters three, book of fate, God's will, will of Heaven, wheel of Fortune, Ides of March, Hobson's choice, last shift, last resort, dernier ressort, pis aller, necessaries, necessarian, necessitarian, fatalist, automaton, necessary, needful, fated, destined, elect, spellbound compulsory, uncontrollable, inevitable, unavoidable, irresistible, irrevocable, inexorable, avoidless, resistless, involuntary, instinctive, automatic, blind, mechanical, unconscious, unwitting, unthinking, unintentional, impulsive, necessarily, of necessity, of course, ex necessitate rei, needs must, perforce, nolens volens, will he nil he, willy nilly, bon gre mal gre, willing or unwilling, coute que coute, faute de mieux, by stress of, if need be, it cannot be helped, there is no help for, there is no helping it, it will be, it must be, it needs to be, it must be so, it will have its way, the die is cast, jacta est alea, che sara sara, it is written, one's days are numbered, one's fate is sealed, Fata obstant, diis aliter visum, actum me invito factus, non est meus actus, aujord'hui roi demain rien, quisque suos patimur manes, The moving finger writes and having writ moves on, Nor all thy piety nor wit shall draw it back to ca.

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