1
as in choice
the act or power of making one's own choices or decisions
the director agreed to make the film only on the condition that she be given complete autonomy for the casting
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in independence
the state of being free from the control or power of another
finding the mother country's treatment of them oppressive and intolerable, the 13 British colonies made the momentous decision to seek autonomy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of autonomy
Level 4 autonomy in trucking is happening now.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
That revelation prodded insurgents in British possessions from Ireland to Sierra Leone to take to the streets to assert their own ambitions for economic and political autonomy over the decades to come.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Resendez, a social media editor with two children who is out of a long-term relationship, says that Allen’s record has arrived at a time when women are reclaiming their autonomy, chipping away at patriarchal norms, and publicly holding men accountable for their misdeeds.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
Dolly’s goal wasn’t finding a fairy-tale ending with a man; her goal was musical autonomy.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autonomy
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
That revelation prodded insurgents in British possessions from Ireland to Sierra Leone to take to the streets to assert their own ambitions for economic and political autonomy over the decades to come.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Resendez, a social media editor with two children who is out of a long-term relationship, says that Allen’s record has arrived at a time when women are reclaiming their autonomy, chipping away at patriarchal norms, and publicly holding men accountable for their misdeeds.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
Dolly’s goal wasn’t finding a fairy-tale ending with a man; her goal was musical autonomy.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autonomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autonomy
Noun
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The best heroes are beloved because their choices — admirable, messy, or otherwise — are hard ones made in service of something greater.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The two were impeccably dressed as Gomez and Morticia Addams, which is a canonically Gay couple costume choice — Lakshmi, as Morticia, was holding scissors in one of the posts, for crying out loud.—
James Factora,
Them.,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
As this brief survey suggests, the patriots’ success in drawing foreign partners into the war was essential to achieving American independence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The forest for the trees Nestled between China, India and Thailand, Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948 but came under military dictatorship in 1962.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
As South Asian publics have pushed back against governments closely aligned with New Delhi, Beijing has asserted itself, courting new regimes with loans and military hardware and stressing respect for their sovereignty.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Leader Xi Jinping has pushed to modernize the military, particularly the navy, to challenge US dominance in the South China Sea and assert sovereignty claims over Taiwan.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The Brazilian feature follows a 75-year-old woman whose journey through the Amazon becomes a manifesto on freedom and dignity.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
-
My mother has been denied access to medical care, the right to speak, and every basic human freedom.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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This visit was very important signal for our partners that Kyiv, much more safety right now, and also very important signal that Great Britain stay together with Ukraine, support Ukraine -- support our country in the fight for our freedom, for our independency.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2022
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Yet the careful reader will appreciate the significance of the Puritan Cromwell’s independency.—
Barton Swaim,
WSJ,
27 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Autonomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autonomy. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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