automaton

/ɔˈtɑmətən/

/ɔˈtɒmətən/

Other forms: automatons; automata

If you walk like an automaton, you move stiffly, like a robot. An automaton is something constructed to be human-like, or a person who seems to have lost the spark of life.

When you see the word, think of Frankenstein's monster, or C3PO from Star Wars. They're not quite human, but they were made to appear so. Used metaphorically, this word suggests the loss of joy and sense of life that makes someone seem like a robot or zombie. After a bad loss, the baseball team might be sitting around like a bunch of automatons. They're mopey and lifeless.

Definitions of automaton

1. noun

   a mechanism that can move automatically
   synonyms: bot, golem, robot

   types:

   android, humanoid, mechanical man

   an automaton that resembles a human being

   type of:

   mechanism

   device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform some function
2. noun

   someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
   “only an automaton wouldn't have noticed”

   synonyms: zombi, zombie

   type of:

   anomaly, unusual person

   a person who is unusual