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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No other polls have been conducted with Pappas as the Democratic candidate.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
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Pence, who ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2023, has simultaneously advocated for an extension of the tax cuts passed during the first Trump administration and has been critical of Democratic policy proposals.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Donald Trump can – for now – remove Democratic members from two federal labor boards, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday, handing the Republican president a victory in his efforts to bring independent federal agencies under his control.—
Daniel Wiessner,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
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Four years ago, for instance, Kurt Almqvist, an independent scholar and book publisher, found Anna Cassel’s journals—some 60 notebooks—in a storage cubby on the Swedish Anthroposophical Society compound.—
Jay Cheshes,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Trump's ambitions aren't far-fetched, according to an international relations expert who told ABC News that there are some avenues in which the U.S. could realistically acquire the autonomous Danish territory.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2025
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Among the company’s strengths is the potential to actually benefit from the rise of autonomous vehicles, Cramer said, instead of losing out, as some investors have feared.—
Julie Coleman,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That agreement recognizes the Pacific archipelago as a sovereign nation that conducts its own foreign policy but gives the U.S. control over defense and security.—
Danica Kirka,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2025
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This imperils not only American democracy but also other democratic sovereign nations.—
Mark A. Cohen,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The coed boarding school in Wiltshire is around an hour from their home in Windsor and could accommodate all three of their children, meaning no separate arrangements would need to be made for Charlotte.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Apr. 2025
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And of the approximately 100 best-selling drugs examined in a separate study covering roughly the same time period, nearly 80% received an additional patent to extend their monopoly period beyond what was originally intended.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-ruling. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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