Dictionary

autonomy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɔˈtɑ.nə.mi/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
• /ɑˈtɑ.nə.mi/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American, cot-caught-merger)
• [oːˈtɔ̟n.ə.mi] (New-Zealand)
• /ɔːˈtɒn.ə.mi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (California) audio
• /oːˈtɔn.ə.mi/ (Australia)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew Proto-Indo-European *tó- Proto-Hellenic *autós Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewder. Ancient Greek αὖ (aû) Ancient Greek τόν (tón) Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós) Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-) Proto-Indo-European *nem-der. Proto-Indo-European *németi Proto-Hellenic *némō Ancient Greek νέμω (némō) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Hellenic *-os Ancient Greek -ος (-os) Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos) ▲ Proto-Hellenic *-os Ancient Greek -ος (-os) Ancient Greek αὐτόνομος (autónomos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek αὐτονομῐ́ᾱ (autonomĭ́ā)bor. English autonomy Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτονομῐ́ᾱ (autonomĭ́ā, “freedom to use its own laws, independence”), from αὐτόνομος (autónomos, “living under one's own laws, independent”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, “-y, -ia”, nominal suffix). By surface analysis, auto- (“self”) + -nomy (“a system of rules or laws about a particular field”).

Meanings

1. (uncountable) The right or condition of self-government; freedom to act or function independently.
   • Financial independence and micro retirement have come to represent the autonomy I've created for myself, which is a powerful feeling. 2025 May 26, Joshua Nelken-Zitser, “I 'micro-retired' in my 30s by investing every dollar from my side income. It sounds almost too simple to be true, but it works.”, in Business Insider:
   • But while assiduously dismissing any though of its own autonomy and proclaiming its victims its judges, it outdoes, in its veiled autocracy, all the excesses of autonomous art. 1951, Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia, Verso, published 2005, page 200:
2. (countable) A self-governing country or region.
3. (uncountable) The capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision.
4. (uncountable) The capacity of a system to make a decision about its actions without the involvement of another system or operator.
   • ...[T]he fact that a scientific theory finds applications to a wide variety of different phenomena does not imply anything about the autonomy of this theory from deeper physical laws. 1992, Steven Weinberg, Dreams of a Final Theory, Pantheon Books, page 41:
5. (uncountable) The status of a church whose highest-ranking bishop is appointed by the patriarch of the mother church, but which is self-governing in all other respects. Compare autocephaly.

Forms

Antonyms

heteronomy · incapacity · servitude · heteronomy · inoperability · dependency · nonautonomy

Coordinates

sovereignty

Deriveds

autonomation · semiautonomy · autonomist · autonomism · nonautonomy · autonomic

Relateds

dysautonomia · autonomous

Translations (121)

pl autonomia (self-government) · es autonomía (self-government) · uz muxtoriyat (self-government) · vi tự trị (self-government) · cmn 自治 (self-government) · he אוֹטוֹנוֹמְיָה (self-government) · fo sjálvræði (self-government) · cs územní samospráva (self-government) · pl autonomiczność (in mechanics) · mk автономија (self-government) · sh аутоно̀мија (capacity for individual decision) · hu autonómia (self-government) · tr özerklik (self-government) · az muxtariyyət (self-government) · hi स्वराज (self-government) · nb sjølstyre (self-government) · ru автоно́мия (self-government) · ko 자치 (self-government) · cmn 自主 (capacity for individual decision) · is sjálfræði (capacity for individual decision) · ka ავტონომია (self-government) · tk özbaşdaklyk (self-government) · sh аутоно̀мија (self-government) · fi itsehallinto (self-government) · hi स्वावलंब (capacity for individual decision) · te స్వతంత్రత (capacity for individual decision) · gd fèin-ùghdarras (self-government) · fo sjálvstýri (self-government) · nb selvstyre (self-government) · th อัตตาณัติ (self-government) · th ภาวะอิสระ (self-government) · be самасто́йнасць (capacity for individual decision) · tl awtonomiya (self-government) · cs autonomie (self-government) · ky автономия (self-government) · lt autonomija (self-government) · kk автономия (self-government) · nn autonomi (self-government) · pl autonomiczność (capacity for individual decision) · sq autonomi (self-government) · tr muhtariyet (self-government) · is sjálfræði (self-government) · fi itsemääräämisoikeus (capacity for individual decision) · is sjálfsstjórn (self-government) · da selvstyre (self-government) · pl samodzielność (capacity for individual decision) · ga féinriail (self-government) · id otonomi (capacity for individual decision) · oc autonomia (self-government) · el αυτονομία (capacity for individual decision) · bg незави́симост (self-government) · pl autonomia (in mechanics) · tg мухторият (self-government) · et autonoomia (self-government) · hi स्वायत्तता (self-government) · fa خودمختاری (self-government) · nl autonomie (self-government) · yi אויטאָנאָמיע (self-government) · uk самості́йність (capacity for individual decision) · io autonomeso (self-government) · sk autonómia (self-government) · es autonomía (capacity for individual decision) · it autonomia (capacity for individual decision) · be аўтано́мія (self-government) · uk автоно́мія (self-government) · nn sjølvstyre (self-government) · fi itsenäisyys (capacity for individual decision) · tg автономия (self-government) · af outonomie (capacity for individual decision) · ar اِسْتِقْلال (self-government) · is sjálfsstjórn (capacity for individual decision) · fr autonomie (self-government) · tr otonomi (self-government) · fi autonomia (self-government) · it autonomia (self-government) · ar تَحَرُّر (self-government) · ro autonomie (self-government) · ru самостоя́тельность (capacity for individual decision) · ja 自律 (capacity for individual decision) · sh autonòmija (self-government) · pt autonomia (capacity for individual decision) · te స్వయంప్రతిపత్తి (self-government) · gl autonomía (self-government) · ru незави́симость (self-government) · eo aŭtonomio (self-government) · mt awtonomija (self-government) · kk мұхтарият (self-government) · bg автоно́мия (self-government) · hy ինքնավարություն (self-government) · scn autunumìa (self-government) · ko 자율 (capacity for individual decision) · ja 自主 (capacity for individual decision) · pt autonomia (self-government) · id otonomi (self-government) · fr autonomie (capacity for individual decision) · hi आत्मशासन (self-government) · ca autonomy (capacity for individual decision) · sl avtonomija (self-government) · th การปกครองตนเอง (self-government) · da autonomi (self-government) · de Autonomie (self-government) · pl autonomiczność (self-government) · lv autonomija (self-government) · mi mana motuhake (self-government) · hu önrendelkezés (self-government) · bg самостоятелност (capacity for individual decision) · ja 自治 (self-government) · pl autonomia (capacity for individual decision) · ru самоуправле́ние (self-government) · ca autonomia (self-government) · ast autonomía (self-government) · cmn 自律 (capacity for individual decision) · sh autonòmija (capacity for individual decision) · sv autonomi (self-government) · nb autonomi (self-government) · sq autonomi (capacity for individual decision) · id kemandirian (capacity for individual decision) · af outonomie (self-government) · uz avtonomiya (self-government) · hi आत्मनिर्भरता (capacity for individual decision) · el αυτονομία (self-government)