as in independent
not being under the rule or control of another
Native American nations are regarded as autonomous in many respects and thus not subject to a number of state and local laws
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Recent Examples of autonomous
Another factor accelerating sticker prices is the amount of high-tech features in new cars, such as infotainment systems with large touchscreens, automatic emergency braking, in-car Wi-Fi, battery systems in hybrids and semi-autonomous driving in electric and high-end vehicles.
—
Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2025
Far from the constructive ambiguity of the 1992 Consensus, Lai breathlessly argued that Taiwan and China are distinct, autonomous nations, drawing on historical, legal, and identity-based arguments linking the island’s heritage to Austronesian culture, rather than Chinese.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Kurt's key takeaways Tesla's dream of a fully autonomous future keeps hitting speed bumps.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Where and how to use the DoorDash-Waymo partnership The companies are currently testing the new autonomous delivery service in the Phoenix area.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autonomous
Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2025
Far from the constructive ambiguity of the 1992 Consensus, Lai breathlessly argued that Taiwan and China are distinct, autonomous nations, drawing on historical, legal, and identity-based arguments linking the island’s heritage to Austronesian culture, rather than Chinese.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Kurt's key takeaways Tesla's dream of a fully autonomous future keeps hitting speed bumps.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Where and how to use the DoorDash-Waymo partnership The companies are currently testing the new autonomous delivery service in the Phoenix area.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for autonomous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autonomous
Adjective
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The McClatchy Commerce Content team, which is independent from our newsroom, oversees this content.—
Calesa Township,
Miami Herald,
28 Oct. 2025
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Then, as president, Joe Biden twice said that the people of Taiwan should decide whether to be independent.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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So, in the UAE, we're partnered with Abu Dhabi, and there's two funds that have invested Mubadala, which is one of the sovereign wealth funds and IHC, another one of the sovereign wealth funds.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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More recently, the firm advised the government on many of its international bond sales and helped finance the sovereign wealth fund’s $55 billion purchase of Electronic Arts.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In May 2016, police collected DNA evidence from Clay after he was arrested on separate theft charges.—
Kelsey Lentz,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Radiolarians were visible throughout the book, which was published as separate volumes between 1899 and 1904 and finally as a complete edition in 1904 with one hundred full-page lithographs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autonomous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autonomous. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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