What does "mechanical" mean?
Manually created layout of artwork that is camera ready for photographic reproduction.
Mechanical
/məˈkænəkəl/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Manually created layout of artwork that is camera ready for photographic reproduction.
- Grammar: mechanical is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: accordant, aeromechanical, alike, analog gauge.
- Useful contrasts: biological, chemical, chemical changes.
- Usage evidence: Mechanical power took the place of manual labor.
How to use "mechanical"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mechanical" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mechanical" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mechanical" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mechanical" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mechanical" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accordant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mechanical", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Manually created layout of artwork that is camera ready for photographic reproduction.
"Since we are dealing with copy in paste-up form, we are now concerned with the preparation and assembly of elements suitable for camera-ready copy, positioned on the mechanical according to the rough layout supplied."
- 2 One who does manual labor, especially one who is similar to Shakespeare's rude mechanicals
"Rude mechanicals must know their place in a horsey army."
- 3 A robot or mechanical creature.
"Is it a mechanical, or a man in a clockwork suit?"
- 4 A mechanical engineer.
"When the older courses had been separated from the literary curriculum eight years the civils, mechanicals and electricals had changed their relative positions four times."
- 5 An instance of equipment failure.
"The pack are suffering mechanicals and pull up under a lamp post marking a right turn."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A stop on an organ that is operated by a hand or foot control rather than having to be manually set up in advance.
"On the other hand I heard only recently of a modern marvel — an organ of two manuals and about sixteen or eighteen stops with adequate and modern mechanicals that the pastor assures me has not been touched by repairer or even by tuner in four years!"
- 7 A machine that performs a job typically accomplished using an animal or manual labor. archaic
"Roland jumped on the horse and with herculean strength picked her up one armed and plopped her down in front of him. “I've had my fill of mechanicals of late. Hold on.”"
Adjective
- 1 Characteristic of someone who does manual labour for a living; coarse, vulgar. archaic
"Thy Doll, and Helen of thy noble thoughts, Is in base durance and contagious prison, Haled thither by most mechanical and dirty hand."
- 2 Related to mechanics (the branch of physics that deals with forces acting on matter).
"mechanical engineering"
- 3 Related to mechanics (the design and construction of machines).
"mechanical dictionary"
- 4 Done by machine.
"mechanical task"
- 5 Using mechanics (the design and construction of machines): being a machine.
"mechanical arm"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 As if performed by a machine: lifeless, mindless, thoughtless, automatic. figuratively
"a mechanical reply to a question"
- 7 Acting as if one were a machine: lifeless or mindless.
"The pianist was too mechanical."
- 8 Handy with machines. informal
"Why don't you ask Joe to fix it? He's very mechanical."
- 9 Relating to the mechanics of a game.
"the mechanical aspects of a trading card game"
Adjective
- 1 using (or as if using) mechanisms or tools or devices wordnet
- 2 relating to or governed by or in accordance with mechanics wordnet
- 3 relating to or concerned with machinery or tools wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Mechanical power took the place of manual labor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mechanical"?
Common synonyms include: accordant, aeromechanical, alike, analog gauge, animated, automated.
How do you use "mechanical" in a sentence?
Mechanical power took the place of manual labor.
How do you pronounce "mechanical"?
Pronounced /məˈkænəkəl/.
Etymology
From Middle English mechanical, mechanicalle, mechanycalle, equivalent to mechanic + -al.