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

If we want autonomous mobility to deliver on its promise—affordable, reliable, emissions-free transportation—we need coordinated planning among technology companies, utilities, regulators and cities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Much of the new spending will go toward more missiles, autonomous battle systems, and counter-drone technology.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Baskets of stocks tied to quantum computing, memes, expensive software names and autonomous driving all tallied big gains.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

You could see autonomous robots performing complicated surgeries by themselves, every car on the road getting driven autonomously, and personal artificial intelligence agents organizing every step of a person’s day-to-day activities.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

His idea was that a military movement should be a separate and independent organ, linked to the ANC and under the overall control of the ANC, but fundamentally autonomous.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• self-governing
• sovereign