An autonomous country, organization, or group governs or controls itself rather than being controlled by anyone else.
They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.
Synonyms: self-ruling, free, independent, sovereign More Synonyms of autonomous
autonomouslyadverb [usually ADVERB after verb]
...a highly decentralised company, with each of its subsidiaries operating autonomously.
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
An autonomous person makes their own decisions rather than being influenced by someone else.
Autonomous individuals are those who follow their own courses of action relativelyunimpeded by others.
3. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
An autonomous vehicle is one that can control itself, without needing a person to drive it.
They are trying to develop autonomous vehicles that could be used in combat.
autonomous in British English
(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
a.
acting or able to act in accordance with rules and principles of one's own choosing
b.
(in the moral philosophy of Kant, of an individual's will) directed to duty rather than to some other end
Compare heteronomous (sense 3), See also categorical imperative
5. biology
existing as an organism independent of other organisms or parts
6.
(of a vehicle, device, etc) able to operate independently
7. a variant form of autonomic (sense 3)
Derived forms
autonomously (auˈtonomously)
adverb
Word origin
C19: from Greek autonomos living under one's own laws, from auto- + nomos law
autonomous in American English
(ɔˈtɑnəməs)
adjective
1.
of or having to do with an autonomy
2.
a.
having self-government
b.
functioning independently without control by others
3. Biology
a.
existing, functioning, or developing independently of other parts or forms
b.
autotrophic
c.
resulting from internal causes; autonomic
Derived forms
autonomously (auˈtonomously)
adverb
Word origin
Gr autonomos, independent < autos, self + nomos, law: see -nomy
Examples of 'autonomous' in a sentence
autonomous
He bundled his family into his car and headed for the Kurdish autonomous region to the north.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
As then, on offer now is a federal unification of two largely autonomous regions.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Forget the notion that British roads will be full of autonomous cars within the next five years.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
What is more worrying is that many legal and ethical issues are yet to be settled, eg should autonomous cars continue to have a driver?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Take, for instance, autonomous cars.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
You also need to stop taking each other for granted and recognise each other as autonomous individuals.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They are forced to recognise each other as autonomous individuals.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It means that people need money if they are to make autonomous choices.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Roughly half of this can be traced back to the autonomous regions.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He has failed to grasp the issue of autonomous regions within countries wishing to gain independence.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It is certain to raise serious questions about the future of autonomous cars.
The Sun (2016)
Different villages within a larger cultural unit are highly autonomous and there is no overarching structure of the whole.
Sanderson, Stephen K. Macrosociology: An Introduction to Human Societies (1995)
Normandy was a largely autonomous region.
Andrew Bridgeford 1066: and the Hidden History of the Bayeux Tapestry (2004)
It's simply to say that the individual is not autonomous.
Christianity Today (2000)
When taking an autonomous car allows you to work, motorway traffic is almost bound to increase.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The technology is seen as the first step towards the gradual introduction of fully autonomous cars that can drive themselves at higher speeds.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Now you might argue that Rolls owners already have autonomous cars.
The Sun (2016)
By 2030 perhaps we can expect fully autonomous cars that can go anywhere.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Driving tests should be rewritten to cover the skills needed to regain control of autonomous cars in an emergency, experts say.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I was experiencing motoring of the future, sitting in an autonomous car that was doing the driving for me.
The Sun (2014)
On average, drivers commuting spend an hour a day stuck in traffic - autonomous cars will give them back that hour.
The Sun (2013)
The technology needed to put fully autonomous cars on the roads is closer to becoming a reality than most people think, the Commons transport committee heard.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
autonomous
British English: autonomous /ɔːˈtɒnəməs/ ADJECTIVE
An autonomous country, organization, or group governs or controls itself rather than being controlled by anyone else.
...the autonomous regional government of Andalucia.
American English: autonomous
Arabic: يَتَمَتَّعُ بِحَكْمِ ذاتِيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: autônomo
Chinese: 自治的
Croatian: autonoman
Czech: autonomní
Danish: autonom
Dutch: autonoom
European Spanish: autónomo independiente
Finnish: autonominen
French: autonome
German: autonom
Greek: αυτόνομος
Italian: autonomo
Japanese: 自治権のある
Korean: 자치의
Norwegian: autonom
Polish: autonomiczny
European Portuguese: autónomo
Romanian: autonom
Russian: самоуправляемый
Latin American Spanish: autónomo
Swedish: självstyrande
Thai: ซึ่งปกครองตนเอง
Turkish: özerk
Ukrainian: автономний
Vietnamese: tự trị
All related terms of 'autonomous'
semi-autonomous
acting independently to some degree
autonomous region
A region is a large area of land that is different from other areas of land, for example because it is one of the different parts of a country with its own customs and characteristics, or because it has a particular geographical feature .
Jewish Autonomous Region
an administrative division of SE Russia, in E Siberia : colonized by Jews in 1928; largely agricultural. Capital: Birobidzhan . Pop: 190 900 (2002). Area: 36 000 sq km (13 895 sq miles)
Xizang Autonomous Region
an autonomous region of SW China; formerly a theocracy and the centre of Lamaism : Europeans strictly excluded in the 19th century; invaded by China in 1950; rebellion (1959) against Chinese rule suppressed and the Dalai Lama fled to India; military rule imposed (1989–90) after continued demands for independence ; consists largely of a vast high plateau between the Himalayas and Kunlun Mountains. Capital: Lhasa . Pop: 2 700 000 (2003 est). Area: 1 221 601 sq km (471 660 sq miles)
Abkhaz Autonomous Republic
a disputed region of NW Georgia , between the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains: a subtropical region, with mountains rising over 3900 m (13 000 ft); Abkhazian separatists seized control of the region in 1993; Russia formally recognized it as an independent republic following the Russian-Georgian war of 2008, although Georgia still claims the region as part of its territory . Capital: Sokhumi. Pop: 220 600 (2006 est). Area: 8600 sq km (3320 sq miles)
Adzhar Autonomous Republic
an administrative division of SW Georgia , on the Black Sea: part of Turkey from the 17th century until 1878; mostly mountainous , reaching 2805 m (9350 ft), with a subtropical coastal strip . Capital: Batumi. Pop: 376 016 (2002). Area: 3000 sq km (1160 sq miles)
Palestinian Autonomous Areas
the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in Israel : these areas were granted autonomous status under the control of the Palestinian National Authority following the 1993 peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization
Tuvinian Autonomous Republic
a constituent republic of S Russia : mountainous . Capital: Kizyl. Pop: 305 500 (2002). Area: 170 500 sq km (65 800 sq miles)
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
an administrative division of S China . Capital: Nanning . Pop: 48 570 000 (2003 est). Area: 220 400 sq km (85 100 sq miles)
Kara-Kalpak Autonomous Republic
an administrative division in NW Uzbekistan , on the Aral Sea: came under Russian rule by stages from 1873 until Uzbekistan became independent in 1991. Capital: Nukus . Pop: 1 633 900 (2002 est). Area: 165 600 sq km (63 900 sq miles)
Kwangsi-Chuang Autonomous Region
an administrative division of S China . Capital: Nanning . Pop: 48 570 000 (2003 est). Area: 220 400 sq km (85 100 sq miles)
Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic
a region belonging to Azerbaijan , from which it is separated by part of Armenia ; annexed by Russia in 1828; unilaterally declared secession from the Soviet Union in 1990. Capital: Nakhichevan . Pop: 363 000 (2000 est). Area: 5500 sq km (2120 sq miles)
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
an administrative division of NW China, south of Inner Mongolia . Capital: Yinchuan . Pop: 5 800 000 (2003 est). Area: 66 400 sq km (25 896 sq miles)
South Ossetian Autonomous Region
a disputed region in Georgia on the S slopes of the Caucasus Mountains; in 1990 it voted to join Russia , leading to armed conflict with Georgian forces; it became an autonomous region in 1997 but later lost this status under a nationwide reorganization of local government; it declared itself an independent republic in 2008 following armed conflict in the region between Russian and Georgian forces. Capital: Tskhinvali . Pop: about 70 000 (2000 est). Area: 3900 sq km (1500 sq miles)
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
an administrative division of NW China: established in 1955 for the Uygur ethnic minority , with autonomous subdivisions for other small minorities; produces over half China's wool and contains valuable mineral resources . Capital: Ürümqi. Pop: 19 340 000 (2003 est). Area: 1 646 799 sq km (635 829 sq miles)
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Republic
an administrative division of Tajikistan : generally mountainous and inaccessible . Capital: Khorog. Pop: 206 000 (2000 est). Area: 63 700 sq km (24 590 sq miles)
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region
a former administrative division in S Azerbaijan . In 1990–94 Armenian claims to the region led to violent unrest and fighting between national forces; it is now governed unofficially by the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Capital: Xankändi. Pop: 143 000 (2000 est). Area: 4400 sq km (1700 sq miles)
Sinkiang-Uighur Autonomous Region
an administrative division of NW China: established in 1955 for the Uygur ethnic minority , with autonomous subdivisions for other small minorities; produces over half China's wool and contains valuable mineral resources . Capital: Ürümqi. Pop: 19 340 000 (2003 est). Area: 1 646 799 sq km (635 829 sq miles)
Inner Mongolia
an autonomous region of NE China : consists chiefly of the Mongolian plateau , with the Gobi Desert in the north and the Great Wall of China in the south. Capital: Hohhot . Pop: 23 800 000 (2003 est). Area: 1 177 500 sq km (459 225 sq miles)