autonomously

American  

[aw-ton-uh-muhs-lee] / ɔˈtɒn ə məs li /

adverb

1. in a way that is self-governing or free of outside control; independently.

   The ideal candidate will be able to work autonomously and without supervision.

2. with little or no human control or intervention.

   We have developed a service robot that operates autonomously, in concert with a network of devices in its environment.

3. Biology.

   1. as an independent organism.

      Viruses, on the boundary between living and nonliving, cannot autonomously reproduce but require the biochemistry and structure of a host cell.

   2. naturally or spontaneously, without cultivation.

      They organized a work day to get rid of the plants growing wildly, autonomously, and unwantedly all around the building.

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Other Word Forms

• nonautonomously adverb

Etymology

Origin of autonomously

autonomous ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Can we hold the human that coded the agent accountable for things that the agent might do autonomously?

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

Though AI-assisted coding has been around for a while, new technology is making it possible to autonomously create apps—and automate nearly all aspects of software development.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The firm said it aims to create other forms of advanced AI, including "agentic" technology capable of autonomously completing tasks with little human oversight.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

These are AI systems that can work autonomously on computers to write software, analyze data and carry out other tasks.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Do we all belong to separate worlds, operating simultaneously but autonomously, so that the links between any two people, anywhere in the world, are few and distant?

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• freely
• individually
• separately