hardwired
hardwired Lexical Profile
hardwired Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Genetically or biologically determined as an innate, automatic, and unchanging pattern of behavior, thought, or inclination.
"Human beings are hardwired to seek social connection and belonging from infancy."
Permanently connected by physical electrical wires or built directly into electronic circuitry rather than controlled by modifiable software.
"The smoke detectors are hardwired into the building's main electrical system with a battery backup."
• verb
To make (a behavior, trait, or capability) a permanent, intrinsic, and automatic feature of a person, organism, or system.
"Centuries of evolution have hardwired our brains to react swiftly to perceived environmental threats."
To connect (an electrical device or component) permanently into a power supply or electronic circuit using physical wires, rather than via a plug or software.
"The electrician hardwired the new dishwasher directly into the kitchen junction box."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the mid-20th century within electronics and computing, combining 'hard' (in the sense of fixed physical hardware as opposed to modifiable software) and 'wired'; the figurative psychological sense emerged in the 1970s.