The autonomy meaning is the right or ability to make your own choices and run your own affairs without being controlled by others. A teenager who picks her own college subjects, a team that sets its own schedule, and a region that makes its own local laws all have a degree of autonomy.
The adjective autonomous means self-governing or acting independently. It now also describes machines, such as autonomous cars and drones, that operate without a human steering them. The word turns up in politics, workplaces, medicine, education and technology, with a slightly different focus in each.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Self-government; freedom to decide and act for yourselfPart of speech
Noun (autonomous: adjective; autonomously: adverb)Pronunciation
aw-TON-uh-mee; autonomous: aw-TON-uh-muhsPlural
autonomies (rare, for regions or groups)Origin
Greek autonomia, from autos, "self", and nomos, "law"; in English from the 1620sOpposite
dependence, control, subordinationClose words
independence, self-rule, self-determination
Senses of the autonomy meaning
- Political autonomy: the power of a region, community or institution to govern itself, at least in some matters, while still being part of a larger state. Many countries have autonomous regions with their own parliaments or languages in schools.
- Personal autonomy: a person's freedom to make decisions about their own life, body and beliefs.
- Workplace autonomy: how much say employees have over how, when and where they do their work.
- Machine autonomy: the ability of a system, such as a robot or vehicle, to carry out tasks and make decisions without direct human control.
In every case, autonomy is a matter of degree. A university may set its own courses but still follow national rules on funding.
Self plus law: where the word comes from
Autonomy comes from the Greek autonomia, independence, built from autos (self) and nomos (law, custom). So an autonomous body is one that lives by its own laws. English used it from the 1620s for self-governing states, and it was applied to individual people by the early 1800s. Autonomous followed in the late 1700s. The same nomos appears in economy and astronomy.
Autonomous definition and examples
The usual autonomous definition: having the freedom to govern itself or act independently; for a machine, operating on its own without a human in control.
- The hill district became an autonomous region with its own council.
- Our manager gives us a lot of autonomy over how we plan the week.
- Children gain more autonomy as they learn to manage money and time.
- The warehouse uses autonomous robots to move shelves at night.
- Doctors must respect a patient's autonomy when discussing treatment choices.
Autonomy in medicine and ethics
In medical ethics, respect for autonomy is a core principle. It means adults who are able to decide have the right to accept or refuse treatment after being given clear information, which is the basis of informed consent. Philosophers also discuss moral autonomy, the idea that people should act on rules they can rationally accept for themselves rather than simply obeying others.
Autonomy compared with close words
| Word | Scope |
|---|---|
| Autonomy | Self-rule within a larger whole, or personal freedom to decide |
| Independence | Being fully separate and not relying on others |
| Sovereignty | Supreme, final authority of a state over its territory |
| Liberty | Freedom from restrictions imposed by authority |
| Discretion | Freedom to judge and choose in a specific matter |
A region can have autonomy without sovereignty: it runs local matters, but the national state still has the last word. See also federalism.
Autonomous, autonomic and other slips
Autonomic is not just a fancy spelling of autonomous. It is mainly a biology word: the autonomic nervous system controls body functions you do not consciously direct, such as heartbeat and digestion. Use autonomous for self-governing people, places and machines.
Also note the spelling: autonomy has three o's, with -nomy at the end like economy. For more words that help in daily reading, visit the everyday vocabulary collection.
Frequently asked questions
What does autonomous mean?
To define autonomous briefly: self-governing, or able to act independently. An autonomous region runs its own local affairs, and an autonomous vehicle drives itself.
What is the definition of autonomy in simple words?
Autonomy is the freedom to make your own decisions and control your own life or work. For places, it means running local matters without outside control.
Is autonomy the same as independence?
Not quite. Independence usually means full separation, while autonomy often means self-rule inside a larger system, like a region within a country or a team within a company.
What is autonomy at work?
It is the amount of freedom employees have to decide how to do their tasks, plan their time and solve problems. Research on motivation often links it to job satisfaction.
How do you pronounce autonomy?
Say aw-TON-uh-mee, putting the weight on TON. Autonomous is aw-TON-uh-muhs.
How would you define autonomy for a child?
Autonomy means being allowed to choose things for yourself, like what to wear or which book to read, and being trusted to handle those choices.