HANDS-OFF Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

hands-off

adjective

Definition of hands-off

as in autonomous

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hands-off When the internet was being developed, the government took a largely hands-off approach to encourage innovation. — Caitlin Babcock, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2026 Anthropic has advocated for more stringent AI regulations — at times incurring the wrath of the Pentagon and White House — while OpenAI has pushed a more hands-off approach. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2026 Easier than Ina’s yet more fresh and flavorful than the packet version, this appetizer recipe is almost entirely hands-off thanks to Bev’s choice to bake. — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 June 2026 Trump has pushed a more hands-off approach for government intervention in the AI industry than his predecessor, former president Joe Biden. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hands-off

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hands-off

Adjective

United Therapeutics’ subsidiary, Unither Bioelectronics, has worked with BETA on areas including autonomous flight technologies, aircraft design, and charging infrastructure deployment.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 July 2026
JadePuffer shows that while fully autonomous AI hackers have not yet arrived, agentic AI is starting to automate the grunt work of ransomware.

— Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of autonomous

Adjective

Actor and producer Tyler Perry is helping pay for Wells' funeral, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is helping pay for his independent autopsy, and filmmaker Spike Lee showed up to the news conference to show support for Wells' family.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
The New York City Department of Investigation is the city’s independent watchdog agency, which investigates fraud, corruption, misconduct, municipal malfeasance, city employees, contractors, and individuals who do business with the city.

— Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

Definition of independent

Adjective

And Secrets suspects that a younger, noninterventionist crowd would have boosted Vance’s numbers.

— Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 30 Mar. 2026
Does the beginning of this war tell us anything meaningful about the long-running battle between the interventionist and noninterventionist wings of American conservativism?

— Suzanne Schneider, The New York Review of Books, 25 Mar. 2026

Definition of noninterventionist

Adjective

Russia has been able to weather Western sanctions largely by ramping up trade with nonaligned countries, particularly India and China.

— Tristan Bove, Fortune, 30 June 2026
These are hedging strategies adapted to today’s more fragmented international order, while the older divide separated aligned states from nonaligned states.

— Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 4 June 2026

Definition of nonaligned

Adjective

Ottawa has flagged space launches as a key sovereign capability in its new defense industrial strategy.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026
The protesters named their encampment the Cascadia Free State, a sovereign enclave whose citizens pledged obedience to the transcendent laws of the cosmos.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Definition of sovereign

Adjective

Religiously unaffiliated Jews are slightly more likely than Jewish adults overall to identify as Democrats, and less likely to call themselves Republicans.

— David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
The nominees will also be up against former Congressman Greg Lopez, who left the Republican Party in January to run for governor as an unaffiliated candidate.

— Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of unaffiliated

Browse Nearby Words

hands in

hands-off

handsome

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hands-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hands-off. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hands-off

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bibelot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes