1
as in democratic
of, relating to, or favoring political democracy
having rid itself of the yoke of colonialism, the new nation chose to be a self-ruling state
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in independent
not being under the rule or control of another
was granted special status as a self-ruling province
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Recent Examples of self-ruling
In recent years, Beijing has ramped up economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan – a self-ruling democracy the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own despite having never governed it.
—
Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023
Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-ruling
Adjective
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But given the wilderness the national Democratic Party currently finds itself in, competition for California’s top job will also probably double as a referendum on the broader question of what a winning Democratic leader should sound like.—
Julia Wick,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
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The Americans’ victory, and, more important, the victory of democratic ideals, upended the old monarchical world order.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Whether the indictment is solid or not, Abrego García will now have competent legal defense and will be before independent judges.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
8 June 2025
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Eventually the archipelago was divided, with the western islands becoming the independent nation of Samoa and the eastern ones becoming American Samoa, overseen by the Navy.—
Mark Thiessen,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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Google even introduced tools that can browse the web and use software under user direction — early examples of the autonomous AI agents that many see as the next frontier.—
Jackie Snow,
Quartz,
7 June 2025
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Although the federal government has already started to streamline some regulations around autonomous driving, Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein said regulators might possibly craft rules in a way that would single out Tesla.—
Chris Kirkham,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Insurance firms, development banks, sovereign wealth funds, and remittances are also sources that could be tapped to finance Africa’s infrastructure, the bank said in its report.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
5 June 2025
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Loyalists’ fate after the American Revolution The Treaty of Paris recognized the U.S. as a sovereign nation and addressed a variety of other issues that remained to be resolved in the war’s aftermath.—
Greg Daugherty,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Khalil’s immigration proceedings are separate from the federal case challenging the legality of his detention.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
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Peninsular Malaysia is separate from Sarawak and Sabah, the Malaysian provinces on Borneo.—
Allan Marks,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-ruling. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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