autarky
Americannoun
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autarkies
plural
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the condition of self-sufficiency, especially economic, as applied to a nation.
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a national policy of economic independence.
noun
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(esp of a political unit) a system or policy of economic self-sufficiency aimed at removing the need for imports
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an economically self-sufficient country
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of autarky
First recorded in 1610–20; from Greek autárkeia, “self-sufficiency,” equivalent to aut- aut- + arke-, stem of arkeîn “to be strong enough, suffice” + -ia -ia
Vocabulary lists containing autarky
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.
Employment reforms have bedeviled successive Indian governments since the country first opened its economy to the world in 1991, after nearly half a century of autarky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
"Strategic autonomy doesn't mean autarky," Macron said after the speech at the embassy.
From Reuters ● Apr. 6, 2023
But what about the case for autarky in things beyond food and energy?
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2022
China joined the WTO in 2001 after more than two decades of moving from Maoist autarky toward an export-oriented, market-based economy.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 20, 2018
But as Lighthizer argued in a 2008 New York Times op-ed, it’s also possible to view his approach to trade policy as a middle ground between openness to trade at all costs and economic autarky.
From Slate ● May 16, 2017
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
