autonomous

The word “autonomous” means governing or managing itself without outside control. In plain terms, independent — running itself, whether that's a country, a team, or a machine.

“Autonomous” is pronounced aw-TO-nuh-muhs (/ɔˈtɑnəməs/ in IPA).

Here is “autonomous” used in a sentence: “The region became autonomous, with its own parliament and laws.”

The opposite of “autonomous” — its antonyms — is heteronomous.

“Autonomous” is an adjective.

The word “autonomous” comes from Greek. From Greek autónomos, "living under one's own laws," from autós ("self") and nomos ("law").

“Autonomous” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the C2 level.

“Autonomous” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: governing or managing itself without outside control.

Automatic describes a machine or process that follows a fixed set of instructions without needing a human to operate it each time, while autonomous implies a greater degree of independent decision-making, such as adjusting to new situations without direct human control. An autonomous vehicle, for example, can respond to changing road conditions on its own, not just follow a preset routine.

An autonomous region governs or manages itself without outside control, often having its own local government or decision-making powers even while remaining part of a larger country or state.

When describing technology, autonomous means the system can operate on its own without a human directly controlling it, such as autonomous drones or autonomous software agents that make decisions independently.