as in independent
not being under the rule or control of another
far beyond the reach of civil or military authorities, the settlers on the frontier were essentially self-governed
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Recent Examples of self-governed
Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, after Nationalist forces fled to the island following their defeat by Chinese Communist powers.
—
Solcyré Burga, Time, 29 Dec. 2025
Overcrowded, under-resourced, and often effectively self-governed, these facilities have long served as incubators where armed groups recruit, reorganize, and expand their influence.
—Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 10 Dec. 2025
Greenland, which became self-governed in 2009, was colonized by Denmark some 300 years ago and still controls Greenland’s foreign and defense policies.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Local nonprofit Safe Ground Sacramento was responsible for operating the camp, which was self-governed by residents.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
Council membership is entirely self-governed, vendor free, and prioritizes cross-industry members to ensure nuanced perspectives.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
Solcyré Burga, Time, 29 Dec. 2025
Overcrowded, under-resourced, and often effectively self-governed, these facilities have long served as incubators where armed groups recruit, reorganize, and expand their influence.
—Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 10 Dec. 2025
Greenland, which became self-governed in 2009, was colonized by Denmark some 300 years ago and still controls Greenland’s foreign and defense policies.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Local nonprofit Safe Ground Sacramento was responsible for operating the camp, which was self-governed by residents.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
Council membership is entirely self-governed, vendor free, and prioritizes cross-industry members to ensure nuanced perspectives.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-governed
Adjective
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Compute, sensors, steering, braking, and charging systems are all integrated into a unified autonomy stack rather than operating as independent subsystems.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Camera Cinemas — the independent outfit led by Jack NyBlom, Jim Zuur and Dennis Skaggs — came in, renovated and added four auditoriums and reopened in July 2002 with a combo of first-run blockbusters and independent movies.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Video from that encounter showed the passenger screaming as the autonomous vehicle pulled into the path of another car.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The bazaar was once Iran’s autonomous economic powerhouse—a network of merchants whose financial independence gave them leverage against state power.—
Narges Bajoghli,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And how is attacking Venezuela with impunity any different from any other dictator plundering sovereign countries?—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The customer list reads like a who’s who of global enterprise, with Novo Nordisk, the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund — the world’s largest — plus Bridgewater, Stripe, and Slack, all running Claude at scale.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-governed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-governed. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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