DictionaryAI

autonomous

adjective
aw-TAH-nuh-muhs/ɔˈtɑnəməs/UKaw-TON-uh-muhs/ɔːˈtɒnəməs/

3 meanings of autonomous

Practice

  1. 1
    self-governingadjective
    Ruling itself, without being controlled by another country or group.

    The island is autonomous, so it makes its own laws.

    The college became autonomous and now chooses its own leaders.

    Similarself-governing, sovereign

    Oppositedependent

  2. 2
    acting aloneadjective
    Acting on your own, or, for a child, acting without following rules set by the adults who care for them.

    The autonomous car stopped by itself at the red light.

    Older kids want to be autonomous and make their own choices.

    Similarself-directed

    Oppositedependent

    Note
  3. 3
    Celtic grammaradjective
    Of a verb form in Celtic languages, having no subject, so the doer is unknown or not named.

    Like saying "the window was broken" without saying who broke it.

    In Irish, the autonomous form lets you say a job was done without saying who did it.

    Learners of Irish often find autonomous verbs hard at first.

    Note

Practice

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Origin

Made from the word autonomy with the ending -ous.