1
as in independent
not being under the rule or control of another
she left home and became entirely self-governing and financially independent at the age of 18
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in democratic
of, relating to, or favoring political democracy
a self-governing nation that could be a role model for other countries in the region
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Recent Examples of self-governing
Administration officials heralded the law as liberation from the constant vulnerability of relying on chip-makers in Taiwan, a self-governing island only 100 miles off the Chinese coast that is claimed by Beijing.
—
Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2023
Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory, is under growing pressure from China, which has not ruled out using force to seize control.
—Dan De Luce, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2023
The Chinese Communist Party claims the self-governing democracy of Taiwan as part of its territory, despite having never controlled it, and refuses to rule out the use of force.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
The satirical news follows the very real law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that wrests control of the resort’s self-governing district.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2023
Disney’s self-governing status endured because the company’s unrivaled political power in Florida made its arrangement virtually untouchable.
—Ron Desantis, WSJ, 28 Feb. 2023
Beijing suspended talks in August after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the self-governing island China claims as its own.
—Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2023
The creation of the self-governing district was instrumental in Disney's decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s.
—CBS News, 27 Feb. 2023
The creation of the self-governing district was instrumental in Disney’s decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Feb. 2023
Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2023
Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory, is under growing pressure from China, which has not ruled out using force to seize control.
—Dan De Luce, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2023
The Chinese Communist Party claims the self-governing democracy of Taiwan as part of its territory, despite having never controlled it, and refuses to rule out the use of force.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
The satirical news follows the very real law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that wrests control of the resort’s self-governing district.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2023
Disney’s self-governing status endured because the company’s unrivaled political power in Florida made its arrangement virtually untouchable.
—Ron Desantis, WSJ, 28 Feb. 2023
Beijing suspended talks in August after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the self-governing island China claims as its own.
—Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2023
The creation of the self-governing district was instrumental in Disney's decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s.
—CBS News, 27 Feb. 2023
The creation of the self-governing district was instrumental in Disney’s decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-governing
Adjective
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The original plan to resolve this—to spin out OpenAI into an independent, for-profit company—was scrapped in May and replaced with a new approach, which will turn OpenAI’s for-profit group into a public benefit corporation controlled by the nonprofit.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
20 June 2025
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Read More Stephanie is an arts and culture journalist and independent dress historian based in New York City.—
Elise Taylor,
Vogue,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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The Queens assemblyman is a democratic socialist who has consistently polled as the runner-up candidate to Cuomo, the favorite to win Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
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Frustrated Democratic lawmakers call out party's 'division' amid DNC turmoil.—
,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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New Shepard is an autonomous, fully reusable vehicle that consists of a first-stage booster and a crew capsule.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
20 June 2025
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The unit has more than 50 corporate customers, including the autonomous vehicle company Aurora and Niantic, the creator of Pokemon Go that recently ditched the games business to pivot to enterprise AI.—
Richard Nieva,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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This reminds me that most of my conversations at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos were spent discussing countries’ needs for a disconnected, sovereign AI cloud.—
Patrick Moorhead,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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That, potentially, is as much of a weakness, longer term, as a shortage of sovereign AI computing infrastructure.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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All are coordinated and named by a single body, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which has a separate name list for typhoons.—
Tom Brown,
Space.com,
29 June 2025
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The Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James have a long history in two separate stints with each other.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-governing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-governing. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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