Vocabulary in context
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Autonomy
The state of being self-governing or independent; the capacity to act with self-direction and make one’s own decisions.
noun💡
Imagine This
Imagine a young adult living in a city of their own making: they choose where to live, what to study, and how to spend each day, with no outside boss dictating their decisions.
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Sounds Like
aw-TAWN-uh-mee
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Looks Like
auto + nomy (self-law)
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Remember This
Autonomy comes from Greek autos 'self' and nomos 'law' and is used in politics (self-rule) and ethics (respect for an individual's self-governing choices).
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Other Forms
autonomousadjective
autonomouslyadverb
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Connect With
independence, self-government, sovereignty, self-determination, freedom
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Note
Be careful not to confuse autonomy with mere freedom or independence in a generic sense; autonomy specifically emphasizes the capacity to govern oneself and make one's own informed choices. Also note the adjective form autonomous and the adverb form autonomously.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The university grants students autonomy to design their own independent study projects.
- As teenagers mature, they seek greater autonomy over their daily schedules and decisions.
Synonyms
independenceself-governmentself-rulesovereigntyself-determination
Antonyms
dependencesubserviencecoercionconstraint
Etymology
From Greek autos 'self' + nomos 'law'; entered English via French autonomie, originally meaning self-legislation or self-governance.
Mnemonic
AUTO + NOMY = SELF-LAW. Picture a person drafting their own rules in a personal constitution, governing themselves without outside dictates.
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Phlegmatic
adjectiveHaving a calm, unemotional, and unruffled demeanor; not easily excited or upset.
Divergent
adjectiveDivergent means tending to differ; moving apart or developing in different directions. It can describe opinions, paths, or outcomes that are not in agreement or not converging.
Celerity
nounSwiftness; speed; rapid movement.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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