clockwork
Wound-up precision engine
Clockwork is the internal mechanism of a clock—gears, springs, and wheels working in precise coordination.
The term extends to any intricate mechanical system operating with similar regularity.
Like clockwork describes anything happening with perfect predictability and timing: The trains run like clockwork.
Clockwork as an adjective describes mechanical devices powered by wound springs rather than electricity: a clockwork toy, a clockwork orange.
Toothed rotating machine parts
- cogsProjections on a wheel
- springsCoils, sources, or leaps
- escapementTick-controlling clock component
- mainspringClock's power coil
movement · pendulum · wheelwork · pinion · ratchet · sprocket · cam · linkage
Elaborately detailed, many parts
- elaborateComplex and detailed
- complexHaving many interconnected parts
- ornateElaborately decorated
- filigreeDelicate twisted-wire ornamentation
delicate · miniature · detailed · fine · precise · mechanical · interconnected · ingenious
Worthy of trust
- predictableAble to be foreseen
- consistentNot varying or contradicting
- steadyFixed, not fluctuating
- unfailingNever failing or weakening
regular · punctual · systematic · methodical · automatic · tireless · unvarying · repetitive
Portable timekeeping device
- chronometerPrecision timekeeping instrument
- horologeDevice measuring time
- pocket-watchPortable hinged timepiece
- timerDuration-tracking mechanism
Degree of correctness
- exactnessCorrectness in every detail
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
- meticulousnessExtreme carefulness in details
- timingArt of choosing moments
synchronization · regularity · consistency · uniformity · alignment · fine-tuning · adjustment · tolerance
gears
Toothed rotating machine parts
- cogsProjections on a wheel
- springsCoils, sources, or leaps
- escapementTick-controlling clock component
mainspring · movement · pendulum · wheelwork · pinion · ratchet · sprocket · cam · linkage · lever
intricate
Elaborately detailed, many parts
filigree · delicate · miniature · detailed · fine · precise · mechanical · interconnected · ingenious · sophisticated
dependable
Worthy of trust
- predictableAble to be foreseen
- consistentNot varying or contradicting
- steadyFixed, not fluctuating
unfailing · regular · punctual · systematic · methodical · automatic · tireless · unvarying · repetitive · programmed
watch
Portable timekeeping device
- chronometerPrecision timekeeping instrument
- horologeDevice measuring time
- pocket-watchPortable hinged timepiece
accuracy
Degree of correctness
- exactnessCorrectness in every detail
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
- meticulousnessExtreme carefulness in details
timing · synchronization · regularity · consistency · uniformity · alignment · fine-tuning · adjustment · tolerance · craftsmanship
- Swiss inventionsmilk chocolate, fondue set, muesli, emmental, gruyere
- mechanismsgear, gearbox, gear train, cog, pulleys
- Victorian ScienceDarwin, Darwinism, evolution, electricity, galvanism
- timekeepingwatch, watches, timer, calendar, hourglass
- Industrial Imagerymachinery, factories, smokestacks, assembly lines, gears
- machineryengine, machinery, industrial machinery, motors, engines
clockworkelectronic
Relating to circuitry devices
digital · electric · battery-powered · computerized · solar-powered
clockworkerratic
Lacking regularity or consistency
unpredictable · chaotic · random · irregular · haphazard
clockworkorganic
From living matter
living · biological · natural · spontaneous · human
- like clockworkWith precise regularity
- clockwork precisionPerfect mechanical reliability
- A Clockwork OrangeDystopian novel about conditioning