Meaning & use

autonomous

adjective·Academic

Able to act or govern independently, without external control.

See it in a sentence

The self-driving car navigated the city streets as a fully autonomous vehicle.

The region became autonomous after negotiating self-governance with the central government.

A note on using this word

Autonomous applies to nations, regions, machines, or people, always emphasizing freedom from outside control.

Words with a similar meaning

independentself-governing

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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