autonomous

[aw-ton-uh-muhs]

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.

autonomous

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• autonomously adverb
• nonautonomous adjective
• nonautonomousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of autonomous¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of autonomous¹

C19: from Greek autonomos living under one's own laws, from _auto- + nomos law

Example Sentences

The attackers manipulated Claude into functioning as an autonomous cyber agent, with the AI mapping internal systems, identifying high-value assets, pulling data and summarizing intelligence before human operators made decisions.

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Taiwan needs a richer mix of capabilities to defend itself, including more mines and autonomous vehicles, to build what U.S.

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Humanoid robots are not yet fully autonomous and are mostly purchased by hobbyists, research institutions or manufacturers.

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They also highlight the carmaker’s physical AI strategy across autonomous driving, robotaxis, and humanoid robotics.

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Tesla Inc.’s stock could rally more than 25% as the electric-vehicle maker progresses with its pivot to autonomous vehicles, according to an analyst.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• self-governing www.thesaurus.com
• sovereign