Automagically Edit Meaning

1.

adv. Something that happens automatically, but that also has some mysterious, "magical" element to it. "Smart" appliances, features, etc. that do intelligent things with less help than you might expect.

I installed Windows, and it screwed up my system automagically!

See The Grammar Nazi

2.

Automatically, but in a way that, for some reason (typically because it is too complicated, or too ugly, or perhaps even too trivial), the speaker doesn't feel like explaining to you.

This term is quite old, going back at least to the mid-70s in jargon and probably much earlier. The word `automagic' occurred in advertising (for a shirt-ironing gadget) as far back as the late 1940s.

"The C-INTERCAL compiler generates C, then automagically invokes cc(1) to produce an executable."

3.

a process that happens automatically but cannot be explained to the processee how it actually happened.

Hey man, I just got a fax in my email inbox automagically, wtf??

See automatic, magic, auto

4.

something happening without doing something else to make it happen

sarah: oh my god, she passed the test!

beth: obviously she passed it automagically, she's the teacher's favourite student!

See magic, auto, impossible, incredible

5.

Correction of my own entry below:

Pointless and pretentious word used to add no meaning at all to normal english sentences pertaining to the kind of automated proceedure computers were designed to do right from the very beginning of their invention. Almost every sentence in which this word appears can be improved upon by removing it.

"Sign in check-box automagically for 2 weeks", from bebo's sign in page.

"Palette Generator: Automagically create a harmonious color palette from a photograph", from Big Huge Labs page.

See automagically, jargon, stupid, pointless, useless, pretentious

6.

Extremely annoying word computer nerds use to describe things software does by itself and with no exception would be far better replaced with the word 'automatically'.

The system will automagically create the next user id number for you.

See automagically, annoying, pointless

7.

Eg. soemthing that works automatically, such as a Microsoft (tm) excell macro, or a car motor.

somethign that works automatically, but seams magical (eg. erections)

Dude, i hate you, your macros are automajic today

See Mark