cybernetic

American  

[sahy-ber-net-ik] / ˌsaɪ bərˈnɛt ɪk /

Rarely cybernetical

adjective

1. of or relating to cybernetics, the study of automatic control and communication functions in both living organisms and mechanical and electronic systems.

   The self-regulating engineering devices of the mid-20th century inspired the cybernetic image of the brain as a computer.

2. relating to or being a mechanical or electronic device implanted into or attached to a living organism to enhance or aid physiological functioning.

   In the sci-fi movie, the hero’s nemesis acquires a six-legged spider-like cybernetic apparatus to replace his lost lower body.

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Other Word Forms

• cybernetically adverb

Etymology

Origin of cybernetic

First recorded in 1945–50; back formation from cybernetics ( def. )

Example Sentences

They could then be fertilized before journey’s end, and the babies raised “under the tutelage of cybernetic nurses who would teach them their inheritance and their destiny when they were capable of understanding it.”

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025

She's concerned about who ends up holding the keys to cybernetic technology.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2024

As always, he’s a blunt, far-reaching, fast-talking rapper who’s determined to engage on multiple fronts: political, cultural, mythmaking, cybernetic, sardonic and — now more than ever — personal.

From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2024

The “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” singers also released a behind-the-scenes video documenting how the digital avatars of its members came to be, acknowledging the reasoning for the existence of their cybernetic manifestations.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2023

Holt claims this is all there ever is, that what we call art, poetry, music inspiration, and intuition are nothing more than the results of badly functioning cybernetic systems.

From Human Error by Jones, Raymond F.