What does computerlike mean?
Computerlike is an adjective used to describe people, actions, or processes that resemble a computer in their defining traits: pinpoint accuracy, remarkable speed, tireless consistency, or an absence of visible emotion. A chess player with perfect recall of past games, an accountant who never errs on a figure, or a robot executing repetitive tasks might all be described as computerlike. The term is most at home in journalism, sports commentary, and popular science writing, where writers reach for it to dramatize feats of precision or endurance. Its connotation is generally admiring rather than cold, though it can carry a faint suggestion of impersonality when describing human behavior. Formed transparently from "computer" and the suffix "-like," it requires no specialist knowledge to parse, making it a handy, instantly understandable intensifier for describing machine-grade performance in an organic world.
adjectiveResembling or characteristic of a computer, especially in displaying mechanical precision, speed, or emotionless regularity.
- Having qualities associated with computers, such as exactness, speed, tirelessness, or unemotional regularity.
"She answered the rapid-fire questions with computerlike accuracy, never missing a beat."
"His computerlike recall of every statistic impressed even the veteran commentators."
"The warehouse robots moved with computerlike efficiency through their nightly routines."
"Computerlike" flips the usual metaphor: instead of humans acting like machines being an insult, it's often high praise for flawless memory and speed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of computerlike
Computerlike is formed from "computer" combined with the adjectival suffix "-like." The root "computer" derives from the verb "compute," which comes from Latin "computare" ("to reckon, calculate"), itself built on "putare" ("to think, estimate"). As computers entered everyday life in the mid-twentieth century, English speakers began forming "-like" compounds around them, and "computerlike" emerged as one of these descriptive hybrids, alongside cousins such as "machinelike" and "robotlike." It shares its Latin ancestry with words like "dispute" and "reputation."
How computerlike is actually used
The word sits in a neutral-to-positive register and appears most often in journalism, sports commentary, and technology writing, where it lends vivid emphasis to exceptional precision or stamina. It is a transparent compound formed from "computer" plus the suffix "-like," so it needs no explanation for general readers.
Easily confused with computerlike
"Computerized" describes something actually run or controlled by a computer, while "computerlike" describes something that merely resembles a computer in its precision or manner.