1
as in choice
the act or power of making one's own choices or decisions
the director agreed to make the film only on the condition that she be given complete autonomy for the casting
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2
as in independence
the state of being free from the control or power of another
finding the mother country's treatment of them oppressive and intolerable, the 13 British colonies made the momentous decision to seek autonomy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of autonomy
The timeline signals an effort to transition humanoid robotics from the lab into real production environments, where reliability, autonomy, and economic viability matter far more than spectacle.
—
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Researchers can also use the platform to study locomotion, manipulation, autonomy, and human-robot interaction without building a robot from scratch.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
From his perspective, this balance between autonomy and collaboration will continue to define how agentic AI is introduced into professional environments.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
But the ethical questions that the case had raised—about the meaning of family and the commodification of children, the tension between reproductive autonomy and contractual compulsion—were left painfully unresolved.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autonomy
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Researchers can also use the platform to study locomotion, manipulation, autonomy, and human-robot interaction without building a robot from scratch.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
From his perspective, this balance between autonomy and collaboration will continue to define how agentic AI is introduced into professional environments.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
But the ethical questions that the case had raised—about the meaning of family and the commodification of children, the tension between reproductive autonomy and contractual compulsion—were left painfully unresolved.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for autonomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autonomy
Noun
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Casado also seemed to enjoy himself, reminding fans of his breakout performances last year at times, but De Jong remains first-choice in that midfield role.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The show is presented as a response to the official Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show headlined by Bad Bunny as the choice of the Puerto Rican mega-star drew backlash from conservatives.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Experts recommend a mix of technology and regular check-ins to balance safety and independence for elderly relatives.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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Accusations of politicization at DOJ For decades, the Justice Department has enjoyed a degree of independence from the White House, particularly in investigations and prosecutions, to insulate them from partisan politics.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Emmanuel Macron equated territorial sovereignty with the rights of the French to police their own misinformation and democracy.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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And the loss of our supply chain sovereignty was not a function of a prosperous and healthy system of global trade.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Çatak’s anti-state message acquires an ambiguous power as the movie wends onward, with an enigmatic final shot that finds Aziz tasting clear-skies freedom but still from behind confines of a sort.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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But, after serving more than 30 years of a natural life sentence, Modrowski won back his freedom in summer 2024 when a judge ruled he had been too harshly punished and resentenced him to a 60-year term.—
Christy Gutowski,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This visit was very important signal for our partners that Kyiv, much more safety right now, and also very important signal that Great Britain stay together with Ukraine, support Ukraine -- support our country in the fight for our freedom, for our independency.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2022
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Yet the careful reader will appreciate the significance of the Puritan Cromwell’s independency.—
Barton Swaim,
WSJ,
27 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Autonomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autonomy. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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