autonomic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the autonomic nervous system.
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Physiology. under the control of the autonomic nervous system.
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Cell Biology. produced by internal forces or causes; spontaneous.
adjective
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occurring involuntarily or spontaneously
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of or relating to the autonomic nervous system
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Also: autonomous. (of plant movements) occurring as a result of internal stimuli
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of autonomic
First recorded in 1825–35; autonom(y) + -ic
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.
Neuroscientists call such coordinated movement and autonomic activity “interpersonal synchrony.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
When you see green trees, smell pine and hear gentle rustling leaves or the sound of birdsong, your autonomic nervous system - a network of nerves controlling unconscious processes - responds instantly.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2025
Your autonomic nervous system regulates heartbeat and blood pressure, but with POTS, the body stops keeping these functions in check, causing symptoms like nausea, dizziness, and extreme fatigue.
From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2025
Music can activate our autonomic nervous system and even cause shivers down the spine.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 30, 2024
It is the most compulsively collective, genetically programmed, species-specific, and autonomic of all the things we do, and we are infallible at it.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
