android

EN
noun

🇺🇸

/ˈæn.droɪd/

🇺🇸

/ˈæn.droɪd/

🇬🇧

/ˈæn.droɪd/

🇬🇧

/ˈæn.droɪd/

Word Forms

Plural

androids

Description

An android is a robot designed to look and often act like a human — typically with a humanoid body, facial features, and sometimes even expressive behavior. While in science fiction androids may be highly intelligent and self-aware (like Data from Star Trek), in real-world tech, the word is most commonly used for devices running Google's Android OS, especially smartphones and tablets.

Examples

The museum displayed a lifelike android that could hold conversations and mimic facial expressions.

She upgraded her old smartphone to the latest android model with advanced voice recognition.

In the film, the android struggled with questions of identity and morality after gaining self-awareness.

Developers test their apps on multiple android versions to ensure compatibility across devices.

Unlike simple robots, androids are built specifically to replicate human appearance and social interaction.

Root

andro-

Comes from the Ancient Greek prefix 'andrō-' (from 'anēr', genitive 'andros'), meaning 'man' or 'male human'. It denotes masculinity, human form, or human-like qualities. Examples include androgen, andrology, android, polyandry, androphobia.

-oid

Comes from the Ancient Greek suffix '-oeidēs' (via Latin '-oides'), meaning 'resembling', 'having the form of', or 'like'. It forms nouns and adjectives indicating similarity or imitation. Examples include humanoid, asteroid, alkaloid, spheroid, and steroid.