Summary An innovative semiactive device, named the spindle adaptive tuned vibration absorber (SATVA), is proposed herein, having the potential of attenuating unfavorable vibrations of the host systems. The proposed device includes a preferably spindle‐shaped body of mass, whose mass moment of inertia can be altered simply by moving a pair of rotating supports. Therefore, the natural frequency of the device can be altered with a fairly low power consumption. A comprehensive analytical approach is employed in order to derive the governing equations of motion of the device, considering physical and practical issues. Through a numerical case study, it is demonstrated that the device is capable of reducing unfavorable vibrations of a rotating machinery during start‐up, while requiring considerably less amount of physical mass, compared with conventional absorbers. In addition, the spindle adaptive tuned vibration absorber has a quite rapid adaptation mechanism in comparison with other adaptive‐mass tuned vibration absorbers. Provided that its absolute acceleration during operation can be kept within reasonable limits to prevent slipping, this device is capable of finding different applications in various engineering disciplines.