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 During the Black Hat keynote, Sean Cairncross, the US national cyber director, took a very hands-off, conciliatory tone regarding AI, security, and privacy regulation. — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026 Crawford, however, was surprisingly hands-off when Gerber and her brother, Presley, decided to pursue modeling. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026 The public is increasingly skeptical of allowing the AI industry to govern itself, which is pushing legislators to rethink their hands-off approach, even as AI money pours like Niagara Falls into elections. — Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026 The auto-docking and LiDAR mapping features make hands-off cleaning easy. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for hands-off

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hands-off

Adjective

The July hack by rogue OpenAI autonomous agents on open-source developer platform Hugging Face accelerated the shift and proved that the era of advanced AI hacks had arrived.

— Samantha Subin, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026
That was the year LumineticsCore received the first FDA de novo clearance for an autonomous medical diagnosis — diabetic retinopathy — and began carrying malpractice insurance for its no-clinician-in-the-loop system.

— Torie Bosch, STAT, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of autonomous

Adjective

In early 2021, after a few years as an independent hotel, the Monarch Beach Resort joined the Waldorf Astoria Collection, the luxury brand from Hilton Hotels.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2026
That means projects that are independent as a feature, not a bug.

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 5 Sep. 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

Since then, the Big Ten has appointed a neutral clock operator, instead of one appointed by the home team.

— Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Winfrey has a more subdued take on footwear, her choices consisting of neutral tones with the occasional leopard or snakeskin.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of neutral

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

The head of the world’s best performing sovereign wealth fund warned of an impending pullback in US stocks.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Townsend's view on what's in store for stock markets echoes a recent warning to investors from the head of the management team behind Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest.

— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of sovereign

Adjective

Delaware Life said investigators are examining whether investments tied to affiliated businesses had been improperly reported as unaffiliated.

— Eric Nehm, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Two historic blue blood programs, squaring off on campus and not at Mercedes-Benz Stadium or some other unaffiliated NFL venue.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hands-off

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

watershed

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes