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.

---

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

---

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

Boosting the use of autonomous drones, which can independently identify targets without human control using AI, was a key part of a wide-ranging review of UK military capabilities unveiled in summer last year.

From BBC

Tesla last month announced that it would kill off the Model S and Model X luxury vehicles as it doubles down on autonomous vehicles and robotics.

From MarketWatch

Sir Demis said it was important to build "robust guardrails" against the most serious threats from the rise of autonomous systems.

From BBC

The company sees potential to expand in merchant software and services, fulfillment and logistics infrastructure, autonomous delivery, and advertising, according to the analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal

Under the deal, Syria's Kurds must surrender oil fields, which have been the main source of revenue for their autonomous administration.

From Barron's

Related Words

• self-governing
• sovereign