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
Another Redditor agreed, emphasizing autonomy.
—
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Work structure and autonomy, where workers have a stable, predictable schedule and control over when and how their work gets done.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2025
These politicians have also taken power away from a significant portion of the population by reinstating earlier, fascist-era restrictions on bodily autonomy.
—Seda Saluk, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025
The old social contract—broad public trust and funding in exchange for academic freedom and institutional autonomy—is unraveling.
—Nicholas Dirks, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autonomy
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Work structure and autonomy, where workers have a stable, predictable schedule and control over when and how their work gets done.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2025
These politicians have also taken power away from a significant portion of the population by reinstating earlier, fascist-era restrictions on bodily autonomy.
—Seda Saluk, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025
The old social contract—broad public trust and funding in exchange for academic freedom and institutional autonomy—is unraveling.
—Nicholas Dirks, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autonomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autonomy
Noun
-
How self-reflection operates matters because it will always be needed to make wiser choices about our toughest challenges.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The styling move — boots tucked cleanly under denim — is a classic styling choice for a reason.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Sitake’s steadiness helped BYU escape the choppy waters of FBS independence and transition into a Power 4 conference in 2023.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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But excellence and independence are all but impossible to consistently maintain without the steady backing of mentors or salaries, and when the incentives of the internet reward virality no matter how it’s achieved.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But Ukraine says Russia is waging an imperial war of conquest to eradicate Ukrainian sovereignty and identity, and illegally bring it under Kremlin control.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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More than 15,000 Haitians lost their lives fighting against the United States’ seizure of Haitian sovereignty, including Charlemagne Péralte, the subject of Yveline Alexis’s engrossing and tragic account of the Occupation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For many Black and Brown people in America, the outdoors was not a site of freedom but of exploitation and fear.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Without the requirement to protect majority-minority districts, Republicans would have far greater freedom to redraw congressional maps in ways that dilute the voting power of Black and other minority communities—areas that tend to favor Democrats.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 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 22 Oct. 2025.
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