autarky

American  

[aw-tahr-kee] / ˈɔ tɑr ki /

Or autarchy

noun

autarkies plural

1. the condition of self-sufficiency, especially economic, as applied to a nation.

2. a national policy of economic independence.

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autarky British  

/ ˈɔːtɑːkɪ /

noun

1. (esp of a political unit) a system or policy of economic self-sufficiency aimed at removing the need for imports

2. an economically self-sufficient country

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Other Word Forms

• autarkic
  adjective
• autarkical
  adjective
• autarkically
  adverb
• autarkist
  noun

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

Example Sentences

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

But what about the case for autarky in things beyond food and energy?

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2022

But this kind of autarky has a price -- deepening isolation from the world economy, markets and investment, he noted.

From Reuters • Feb. 25, 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