heteronomy

American  

[het-uh-ron-uh-mee] / ˌhɛt əˈrɒn ə mi /

noun

1. the condition of being under the domination of an outside authority, either human or divine.

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Etymology

Origin of heteronomy

First recorded in 1815–25; hetero- + -nomy

Example Sentences

One of its themes contrasts autonomy and heteronomy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026

From it he derives his all-important distinction between religious "heteronomy," which is imposed upon the individual, and religious "autonomy," in which the individual continually seeks and hopes to find.

From Time Magazine Archive

The characteristic of Morality thus described is its essential inwardness, and the sovereignty of the conscience over all heteronomy.

From Hegel's Philosophy of Mind by Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich

If it is true that a condition of "heteronomy" always precedes that of "autonomy," then the outer sanction is the indispensable condition of the evolution of moral feelings.

From A Review of the Systems of Ethics Founded on the Theory of Evolution by Williams, C. M.

It is called autonomy of Will and is contrasted with heteronomy.

From Morals and the Evolution of Man by Nordau, Max Simon