Synonyms of autonomous

autonomous

adjective

ȯ-ˈtä-nə-məs 

as in independent

not being under the rule or control of another

Native American nations are regarded as autonomous in many respects and thus not subject to a number of state and local laws

Synonyms & Similar Words

• independent
• sovereign
• separate
• self-governing
• self-governed
• freestanding
• democratic
• sovran
• self-ruling
• free
• liberated
• empowered
• emancipated
• freeborn
• unsupervised
• freed
• released
• republican
• redeemed
• delivered
• unruled
• unconquered
• manumitted
• enfranchised

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dependent
• subject
• nonautonomous
• unfree
• captive
• subjugated
• subdued
• bound
• enslaved
• conquered
• subordinate
• non-self-governing
• fettered
• subservient
• inferior

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective autonomous contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of autonomous are free, independent, and sovereign. While all these words mean "not subject to the rule or control of another," autonomous stresses independence in matters pertaining to self-government.

in this denomination each congregation is regarded as autonomous

When might free be a better fit than autonomous?

While the synonyms free and autonomous are close in meaning, free stresses the complete absence of external rule and the full right to make all of one's own decisions.

you're free to do as you like

When is it sensible to use independent instead of autonomous?

The synonyms independent and autonomous are sometimes interchangeable, but independent implies a standing alone; applied to a state it implies lack of connection with any other having power to interfere with its citizens, laws, or policies.

the colony's struggle to become independent

When would sovereign be a good substitute for autonomous?

The words sovereign and autonomous can be used in similar contexts, but sovereign stresses the absence of a superior power and implies supremacy within a thing's own domain or sphere.

separate and sovereign armed services

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of autonomous

In enterprise environments, where LLMs are integrated into critical decision systems, customer support flows, or autonomous agents, the structure and clarity of a prompt can determine the quality, safety and relevance of the output. —Shikher Goel, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025

But as the country’s increasingly autonomous gangs fight for territorial control and expand their reach to include most of Port-au-Prince and parts of the Artibonite and Central Plateau, self-defense brigades have become the last line of defense. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025

Latinum, the second-place winner, provides payment middleware enabling Model Context Protocol builders to monetize their services, allowing AI agents to manage budgets and make autonomous payments. —Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025

What To Know In the UK, these complications have resulted in transport regulators pushing a deadline for autonomous vehicle guidelines back a year, despite industry leaders saying their cars will be road-ready before then. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025