automatism
noun
au·tom·a·tism ȯ-ˈtä-mə-ˌti-zəm 
1
a
: the quality or state of being automatic
b
: an automatic action
2
: the moving or functioning (as of an organ, tissue, or a body part) without conscious control that occurs either independently of external stimuli (as in the beating of the heart) or under the influence of external stimuli (as in pupil dilation)
3
: a theory that views the body as a machine and consciousness as a noncontrolling adjunct of the body
4
: suspension of the conscious mind to release subconscious images
automatism—the surrealist trend toward spontaneity and intuition 
Elle
Elle automatist
ȯ-ˈtä-mə-tist
noun or adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Other analysts countered that the defense would be successful in only a minuscule number of cases and that there is a difference between extreme intoxication and extreme intoxication akin to automatism. Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 13 May 2022 But once humans traveling in this manner exhibited the automatism of the technology itself, any interruption entailed a catastrophic return of the anxiety initially repressed. Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021 Founded by French poet, essayist and critic André Breton, Surrealism rejected the premise that culture and politics should be guided by rational principles, instead elevating dreams, automatism and psychoanalysis. Isis Davis-marks, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020 While painters like André Masson and Joan Miró practiced visual automatism, others, René Magritte, Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí among them, used meticulous technique to create optical puns and illusions. Teju Cole, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2016
Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 13 May 2022 But once humans traveling in this manner exhibited the automatism of the technology itself, any interruption entailed a catastrophic return of the anxiety initially repressed. Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021 Founded by French poet, essayist and critic André Breton, Surrealism rejected the premise that culture and politics should be guided by rational principles, instead elevating dreams, automatism and psychoanalysis. Isis Davis-marks, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020 While painters like André Masson and Joan Miró practiced visual automatism, others, René Magritte, Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí among them, used meticulous technique to create optical puns and illusions. Teju Cole, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2016 Word History
Etymology
French automatisme, from automate automaton, from Latin automaton
First Known Use
1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Medical Definition
automatism
noun
au·tom·a·tism ȯ-ˈtäm-ə-ˌtiz-əm
1
: an automatic action
especially : any action performed without the doer's intention or awareness
2
: the power or fact of moving or functioning without conscious control either independently of external stimulation (as in the beating of the heart) or more or less directly under the influence of external stimuli (as in the dilating or contracting of the pupil of the eye)
automatism
noun
as in autohypnosis
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- autohypnosis
- autosuggestion
- hypnotism
- hypnosis
- mesmerism
- self-hypnosis
- self-suggestion
- bewitchment
- spellbinding
- enchantment