1. a person who believes that natural phenomena can be explained entirely by physical and chemical processes
Usage: philosophy
2. a person skilled in mechanics or mechanical work

Examples

• The mechanist argued that consciousness could be reduced to brain chemistry.
• As a strict mechanist, she rejected any supernatural explanations for biological processes.
• The philosopher was criticized for his mechanist view of human behavior.
• The skilled mechanist repaired the complex clockwork mechanism.
• Early mechanists believed the universe operated like a giant machine.
• The mechanist approach dominated scientific thinking in the 17th century.