autarky

American  

[aw-tahr-kee] / ˈɔ tɑr ki /

Or autarchy

noun

plural

autarkies

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

The ancient Greeks had a name for this kind of self-reliance: "autarky".

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

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

Today’s technologies make nations, including Iran, porous to outside influences; intellectual autarky is impossible.

From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2015

Successive governments promoted autarky, the Hindi language and equidistance between the Western and Soviet blocs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2013