self-governed
Americanadjective
-
governed by itself or having self-government, as a state or community; independent.
- Synonyms:
- autonomous
- Antonyms:
- dependent
-
self-regulating; self-determining.
-
exercising self-restraint or self-control.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-governed
First recorded in 1700–10
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.
Returning from his Beijing summit with the Chinese leader, the president said that “nothing’s changed” in the U.S. policy toward the democratic, self-governed island.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
“We’re a sovereign nation. We’re a self-governed tribe. We want to take care of ourselves because we know how to take care of ourselves,” he said.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 19, 2024
The foreign secretary's visit is against a backdrop of continued calls by Argentina for the self-governed territory to be handed to Buenos Aires.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2024
He was also able to conduct and tour with the Vienna Philharmonic, an elite, self-governed contingent of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra.
From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2024
In theory ours is a self-governed people; in practice this is not wholly true.
From History of Human Society by Blackmar, Frank W. (Frank Wilson)
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.
