AUTONOMY

autonomy, liberty

(noun) immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence

autonomy, self-direction, self-reliance, self-sufficiency

(noun) personal independence

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

autonomy (countable and uncountable, plural autonomies)

Self-government; freedom to act or function independently.

(philosophy) The capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision.

(mechanics) The capacity of a system to make a decision about its actions without the involvement of another system or operator.

(Christianity) The status of a church whose highest-ranking bishop is appointed by the patriarch of the mother church, but which is self-governing in all other respects. Compare autocephaly.

Synonyms

• (self-government): See sovereignty

Antonyms

• (self-government): dependency, nonautonomy, inoperability

• (capacity to make independent decisions): heteronomy, incapacity

Source: Wiktionary


Au*ton"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. autonomie. See Autonomous.]

1. The power or right of self-government; self-government, or political independence, of a city or a state.

2. (Metaph.)

Definition: The sovereignty of reason in the sphere of morals; or man's power, as possessed of reason, to give law to himself. In this, according to Kant, consist the true nature and only possible proof of liberty. Fleming.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Plain brewed coffee contains almost no calories, while coffee with dairy products, sugar, and other flavorings is much higher in calories. An espresso has 20 calories. A nonfat latte has 72, while a flavored one has 134.

coffee icon