as in democracy
government in which the supreme power is held by the people and used by them directly or indirectly through representation
the newly created United States opted for self-rule rather than monarchy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 self-rule
Cairo needed—and the Carter administration wanted—the Israeli-Egyptian agreement to be tied to some kind of process toward self-rule for the millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
—
Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
Kashmir was assigned special status—enshrined in Article 370—and afforded significant powers of self-rule.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Although Denmark oversees foreign and defense policy, Greenland has steadily expanded its self-rule since gaining home rule in 1979.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
By war's end, the ideal of self-rule prevailed, with 200,000 Americans—in a nation of 2.5 million—joining the fight.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Financial Pathfinders actively listen and respect your right to self-rule, tailoring suggestions to your specific situation, style and beliefs.
—Brian Lasher, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
According to the 2009 self-rule agreement, Greenland is allowed to declare independence after a successful referendum, which Egede suggested may come as early as this spring, at the same time as parliamentary elections.
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 27 Feb. 2025
The country, which gained self-rule in 1979, remains a Danish territory.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Mar. 2025
But most members of Congress know exactly what’s going on: Trump is dismantling our democracy and creating self-rule.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
Kashmir was assigned special status—enshrined in Article 370—and afforded significant powers of self-rule.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Although Denmark oversees foreign and defense policy, Greenland has steadily expanded its self-rule since gaining home rule in 1979.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
By war's end, the ideal of self-rule prevailed, with 200,000 Americans—in a nation of 2.5 million—joining the fight.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Financial Pathfinders actively listen and respect your right to self-rule, tailoring suggestions to your specific situation, style and beliefs.
—Brian Lasher, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
According to the 2009 self-rule agreement, Greenland is allowed to declare independence after a successful referendum, which Egede suggested may come as early as this spring, at the same time as parliamentary elections.
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 27 Feb. 2025
The country, which gained self-rule in 1979, remains a Danish territory.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Mar. 2025
But most members of Congress know exactly what’s going on: Trump is dismantling our democracy and creating self-rule.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-rule
Noun
-
But perhaps the most serious rebuke to the liberal international order has come from inside the democracies, where populist parties have hitched economic grievances, anti-immigrant sentiments, and the loss of faith in their own elites and institutions to an authoritarian domestic turn.—
Margaret MacMillan,
The Atlantic,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The federal courts have toggled back and forth between narrow and liberal interpretations of the Constitution’s applicability to immigrants facing deportation – shifts that reflect competing visions of American nationhood and the boundaries of liberal democracy.—
Rick Baldoz,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-rule.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-rule. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share