1
as in democracy
government in which the supreme power is held by the people and used by them directly or indirectly through representation
self-government implies faith in the wisdom and essential goodness of the people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restraint
the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions
steely self-government was all that kept her from lashing out at the rude customer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in autonomy
the state of being free from the control or power of another
championed self-government for the nation's indigenous peoples
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-government
Already, 23 states have passed resolutions in support of the For Our Freedom Amendment to restore self-government.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
In 2009, Denmark granted Greenland self-government, giving the territory control over all its affairs except foreign policy and defence.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2026
Greenland voted in favor of self-government in 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in 2009.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
Those who charge that mail ballots are not secure undermine confidence in elections, without proof, and discourage participation, erode trust, and weaken the very foundations of self-government.
—Coalition, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-government
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
In 2009, Denmark granted Greenland self-government, giving the territory control over all its affairs except foreign policy and defence.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2026
Greenland voted in favor of self-government in 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in 2009.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
Those who charge that mail ballots are not secure undermine confidence in elections, without proof, and discourage participation, erode trust, and weaken the very foundations of self-government.
—Coalition, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-government
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-government
Noun
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The lack of competition is bad for democracy, experts say.—
Ashley Wu,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
In the West, nation-states produced an astonishing expansion of equality, democracy and material security.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Told with exacting restraint yet as layered as the lacquer on an ebony Biedermeier console, this forms a loose triptych with Pawlikowski’s last two features, Ida and Cold War, both of which were set at least partly behind the Iron Curtain.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
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For the Dior cruise show in Los Angeles, Peter Philips treated glow with the restraint of good lighting.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
Noun
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This effort represents a step toward operationalizing collaborative autonomy, where teams of unmanned systems work together in dynamic and communications-constrained environments under a single operator.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
20 May 2026
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Empowering Employees With Autonomy And Ownership Focus on autonomy and ownership.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Data sovereignty will define institutional power.—
Deborah Wince-Smith,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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Perhaps the most radical element of republicanism was that the nation’s sovereignty would be held by its citizenry rather than by a monarch or an autocrat.—
Tyler Green,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Noun
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The Athletic maintains full editorial independence.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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The federal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro regarding the downing of a civilian plane in 1996 fired up the Cuban exile community in Miami, where the indictment was announced Wednesday – the same day the Cuban diaspora celebrate their independence from Spain.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Worker representatives countered that the right to strike is intrinsic to freedom of association and has long been upheld by the ILO’s supervisory bodies.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
22 May 2026
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Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 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
“Self-government.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-government. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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