autonomy

au·ton·o·my

noun \ȯ-ˈtä-nə-mē\

plural au·ton·o·mies

Definition of AUTONOMY

1

: the quality or state of being self-governing; especially : the right of self-government

2

: self-directing freedom and especially moral independence

3

: a self-governing state

Examples of AUTONOMY

1. a teacher who encourages individual autonomy
2. The territory has been granted autonomy.
3. The Catalans take the matter of their language very seriously; it is an outward indication of their autonomy, of their distinction from the rest of Spain. —Polly Evans, It's Not About the Tapas, 2006
4. The term empire implies more than simple cultural dominance or preeminent military power. It applies to states that use force to occupy and control a group of other states or regions. The conquered states, robbed of autonomy and political independence, become colonies, provinces, or territories of the imperial power. Taxes are levied, laws are imposed, soldiers are conscripted, governors are installed—all without the consent of the subjugated state. —Michael J. Glennon, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2002
5. The social payoff of the new knowledge would be new technology, then new industries and new jobs. Compton got nowhere with the administration, partly because he was an anti-New Dealer, partly because the government was unwilling to grant scientists the autonomy that they claimed, and partly because his program represented a trickle-down approach to economic recovery. —Daniel J. Kevles, New Republic, 30 Sept. 2002
6. Usually, Americans think of freedom as a condition of personal autonomy, independence from the will of others. This way of thinking reflects just the kind of distinction—between oneself and the rest of the group of which one is a part—that Dewey considered false. —Louis Menand, The Metaphysical Club, 2001

Origin of AUTONOMY

(see autonomous)

First Known Use: circa 1623

Related to AUTONOMY

Synonyms

accord, free will, choice, self-determination, volition, will

Antonyms

dependence (also dependance), heteronomy, subjection, unfreedom

Related Words

election, preference, selection; bent, devices, disposition, inclination, leaning, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency; alternative, discretion, option, pick, way

Near Antonyms

coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, force, pressure

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

Rhymes with AUTONOMY

agronomy, antonymy, astronomy, economy, eponymy, gastronomy, metonymy, synonymy, taphonomy, taxonomy, toponymy

au·ton·o·my

noun \-mē\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; au·ton·o·mies

Medical Definition of AUTONOMY

1

: the quality or state of being independent, free, and self-directing

2

: independence from the organism as a whole in the capacity of a part for growth, reactivity, or responsiveness