robotic

robotic — adjective

1. describing machines or technology that work automatically, or describing a perso

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing machines or technology that work automatically, or describing a person's movements, voice, or behaviour as stiff, mechanical, and lacking natural feeling, in a way that is similar to a robot

Example

The robotic arm on the assembly line could lift heavy car parts without tiring.

collocation: robotic arm (a common use in manufacturing)

Tamar read her speech in a flat, robotic voice that made the audience lose interest.

robotic voice = flat, emotionless tone

Common collocations
  • robotic arm
  • robotic voice
  • robotic movement
  • robotic surgery
  • robotic system
  • robotic vacuum
Synonyms
  • mechanical

    Focuses on the machine-like quality itself; 'robotic' more strongly calls to mind a robot specifically.

  • stiff

    Describes the physical quality of movement without implying the cause is a lack of feeling.

  • automated

    Used literally for machines that run without human help; less common for describing people.

Antonyms
  • natural

    Suggests ease and lack of effort, the opposite of stiff or programmed behaviour.

  • fluid

    Emphasises smooth, continuous motion rather than jerky, mechanical movements.

  • spontaneous

    Describes behaviour that is unplanned and natural, opposite of programmed responses.

Grammar Patterns

robotic + noun

be/become/seem + robotic

Usage Note

Frequently used before nouns describing body parts (arm, hand, leg), voice, or technology (system, surgery, vacuum). Can carry a mildly negative tone when applied to people, suggesting they lack natural warmth or spontaneity.

Common Mistakes

His speech was robotic but full of emotion.
His speech was robotic and lacked any emotion.
Robotic implies the absence of emotion, so pairing it with 'full of emotion' creates a contradiction.
The robot's movements were very robotic.
The robot's movements were very precise and mechanical.
Saying a robot's movements are 'robotic' is redundant.

2. a style of dancing in which a person moves in a stiff, mechanical way, with shor

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

a style of dancing in which a person moves in a stiff, mechanical way, with short, sharp arm and leg movements that copy the way a robot moves

Example

At the talent show, Esteban performed a robotic dance that had the audience clapping along.

collocation: robotic dance / robotic dancing

The crew practiced robotic moves each evening, making every shoulder pop look perfectly mechanical.

Common collocations
  • robotic dancing
  • robotic dance
  • robotic moves
  • robotic routine
Synonyms
  • robot dance

    The noun form used to name the same style; 'robotic dancing' is more common in full sentences.

Grammar Patterns

robotic + dance / dancing / routine / moves

Usage Note

The noun 'dancing' or 'dance' almost always follows robotic in this sense — 'robotic dancing' is the standard name for the style. Less common before other nouns such as 'duet' or 'routine'.

Common Mistakes

He danced robotic at the party.
He danced robotically at the party.
Robotic is an adjective; you need the adverb 'robotically' to describe how someone dances.
She studies robotics as a dance form.
She does robotic dancing.
'Robotics' is the science of building robots, not a name for the dance style.

Word family

  • robot
    nounA2
  • robotics
    nounB2
  • robotically
    adverbC1
  • robotize
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe something that lacks natural human qualities, but they differ in what they emphasise. 'Robotic' most directly suggests a robot — stiff movements, a flat voice, or behaviour that follows a fixed pattern without emotion. 'Mechanical' is broader: a mechanical smile may be forced and deliberate, but it does not specifically call a robot to mind. 'Stiff' applies mainly to physical movement or posture and does not explain the cause. 'Automated' works best for literal machines that run without human input; it sounds unusual applied to a person. 'Programmed' implies behaviour that follows a fixed sequence, with the suggestion that the person cannot adapt. For example: 'The customer service agent gave a robotic response, reading from a script.' Here, 'mechanical' would also fit, but 'programmed' would be better if the agent were following a strict decision tree.

robotic ↗mechanical ↗stiff ↗automatedprogrammed

Common collocations

Nouns

  • robotic technology
  • robotic process
  • robotic system

Adverbs

  • completely robotic
  • almost robotic
  • somewhat robotic
  • eerily robotic

Phrases

  • in a robotic way
  • with robotic precision

Etymology

CzechEnglish

Robotic is derived from 'robot', a word invented by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in his 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). Čapek took the word from the Czech 'robota', meaning 'forced labour' or 'drudgery', because the robots in the play were artificial workers built to serve humans. The adjective 'robotic' appeared in English in the 1920s, first used to describe the machines themselves and later extended to any behaviour that seemed stiff, unfeeling, or automatic.