answering machine
noun
Simple meaning
An electronic device that answers the telephone and records messages.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
anserihngmuhsheenSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈænsɚɪŋməʃin
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
telephonydated
An electronic device that answers the telephone and records messages
telephonydated
A device that automatically records voicemails from unanswered telephone calls.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: An electronic device that answers the telephone and records messages
Used this way, answering machine is an older-sounding word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in historical writing and literature or storytelling contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Dated
- Connotation
- Old-fashioned
- Usage feel
- Dated in modern speech
Where it naturally appears
- Historical writing
- Literature/storytelling
Usage note
This meaning still makes sense to most readers, but it sounds a generation behind current usage.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “answering machine” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.