English Reference
Adjective

robotic

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˌɹoʊˈbɑtɪk/ UK /ɹəʊbˈɒtɪk/ ro·botic

adj.acting like a robot — stiff, unemotional, or very precise. You use this to describe someone who seems cold or mechanical.

adj.resembling a robot in movement, behavior, or lack of emotion; characterized by mechanical precision or rigidity.


SIMPLE

His robotic voice made the announcement sound boring.

CONTEXTUAL

The customer service agent gave a robotic response that failed to address my specific complaint.

COMPLEX

The dancer's robotic movements contrasted sharply with the fluid grace of her partner, creating a striking visual tension on stage.

Computers began speaking by putting together phonemes in the 1960s, creating stiff, robotic speech.

The Conversation· 10 Aug 2026

A robotic voice tells me to stay still and close my eyes as I stand in a huge curved scanner while classical music plays in the background.

BBC News· 8 Aug 2026

From robot + -ic. Coined by American science fiction author Isaac Asimov in 1941 in his short story Liar!.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated