autonomous
Americanadjective
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Government.
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self-governing; independent; subject to its own laws only.
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pertaining to an autonomy, or a self-governing community.
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having autonomy; not subject to control from outside; independent.
a subsidiary that functioned as an autonomous unit.
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(of a machine, device, etc.) able to operate with little or no human control or intervention.
an autonomous vehicle.
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Biology.
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existing and functioning as an independent organism.
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growing naturally or spontaneously, without cultivation.
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adjective
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(of a community, country, etc) possessing a large degree of self-government
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of or relating to an autonomous community
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independent of others
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philosophy
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acting or able to act in accordance with rules and principles of one's own choosing
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(in the moral philosophy of Kant, of an individual's will) directed to duty rather than to some other end Compare heteronomous See also categorical imperative
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biology existing as an organism independent of other organisms or parts
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a variant spelling of autonomic
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of autonomous
First recorded in 1790–1800; from Greek autónomos “with laws of one's own, independent,” equivalent to auto- auto- 1 + nóm(os) “law, custom” + -os adjective suffix
Explanation
Autonomous describes things that function separately or independently. Once you move out of your parents' house and get your own job, you will be an autonomous member of the family. This adjective autonomous is often used of countries, regions, or groups that have the right to govern themselves: Vatican City, where the Catholic pope lives, is an autonomous territory located within the city limits of Rome. The corresponding noun is autonomy, referring to the state of existing or functioning independently. Autonomous comes from the Greek roots autos, "self," and nomos, "law."
Vocabulary lists containing autonomous
To Thine Own Self Be True: Auto
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nvidia meanwhile can be the standardized technology backbone for autonomous vehicles that Uber can utilize and monetize, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Tesla stock increased in premarket trading, driven by autonomous driving updates.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Tesla stock increased in premarket trading, driven by autonomous driving updates.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
While many companies are building autonomous humanoid robots for factories, homes or companions, Foundation claims it is the only US firm developing them specifically for a broad range of defence applications.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
But once a science establishes itself it becomes, to a remarkable degree, autonomous, immune to influence from other fields.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
