autonomous

American  

[aw-ton-uh-muhs] / ɔˈtɒn ə məs /

adjective

1. Government.

   1. self-governing; independent; subject to its own laws only.

   2. pertaining to an autonomy, or a self-governing community.

2. having autonomy; not subject to control from outside; independent.

   a subsidiary that functioned as an autonomous unit.

3. (of a machine, device, etc.) able to operate with little or no human control or intervention.

   an autonomous vehicle.

4. Biology.

   1. existing and functioning as an independent organism.

   2. growing naturally or spontaneously, without cultivation.

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autonomous British  

/ ɔːˈtɒnəməs /

adjective

1. (of a community, country, etc) possessing a large degree of self-government

2. of or relating to an autonomous community

3. independent of others

4. philosophy

   1. acting or able to act in accordance with rules and principles of one's own choosing

   2. (in the moral philosophy of Kant, of an individual's will) directed to duty rather than to some other end Compare heteronomous See also categorical imperative

5. biology existing as an organism independent of other organisms or parts

6. a variant spelling of autonomic

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Other Word Forms

• autonomously adverb
• nonautonomous adjective
• nonautonomousness noun

Etymology

Origin of autonomous

First recorded in 1790–1800; from Greek autónomos “with laws of one's own, independent,” equivalent to auto- auto- ¹ + nóm(os) “law, custom” + -os adjective suffix

Example Sentences

But she added that autonomous vehicles also had to meet strict safety standards, "including protection from hacking and cyber threats" before they would be allowed on UK roads.

From BBC

Musk has touted Tesla's technological prowess on artificial intelligence and autonomous driving as a decisive advantage against rivals that justifies the company's lofty stock market valuation.

From Barron's

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday a standoff with the United States over Greenland was "a strategic wake-up call for all of Europe", speaking alongside the leaders of Denmark and the Danish autonomous territory.

From Barron's

Obviously I’m existentially very happy, but I miss the hustle, I miss being like the having an autonomous ownership over my body, where I’m not growing someone or breastfeeding someone or anything else.

From Los Angeles Times

Analysts will also want to hear more about Tesla’s plans to accelerate plans that are more directly related to AI, namely autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• self-governing
• sovereign