autonomous
adjective
au·ton·o·mous
ȯ-ˈtä-nə-məs 
1
a
: having the right or power of self-government
an autonomous territory
b
: undertaken or carried on without outside control : self-contained
an autonomous school system
2
a
: existing or capable of existing independently
an autonomous zooid
b
: responding, reacting, or developing independently of the whole
an autonomous growth
3
: controlled by the autonomic nervous system
4
: of, relating to, or marked by autonomy
autonomously
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of autonomous in a Sentence
Native American nations are regarded as autonomous in many respects and thus not subject to a number of state and local laws.
Recent Examples on the Web
The company also appears to be counting on a vehicle built to be a fully autonomous robotaxi as the catalyst for future earnings growth.
—
Tom Krisher, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Since then, Musk’s many predictions about fully autonomous vehicles have failed to come true.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 23 Apr. 2024
Tellingly, those figures now include Eric Schmidt, who spent 16 years as Google’s chief executive and is now drawing on lessons from Ukraine to develop a new generation of autonomous drones that could revolutionize warfare.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Increasingly, Tesla's investments are going toward autonomous vehicle technology.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 23 Apr. 2024
It is also intended to help make Abu Dhabi a global R&D hub for autonomous vehicle technology while also inspiring the next generation of STEM talent.
—Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2024
The vote will effectively be a referendum on Musk’s leadership and Tesla’s new autonomous identity.
—Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 18 Apr. 2024
Even if most commercial passengers are aware, on an intellectual level, that the skilled but underutilized pilots in the cockpit are mostly being paid to drink coffee, the idea of fully autonomous flight will require some acculturation.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Raytheon has used game engines to simulate the deployment of new military technologies, including autonomous drone swarms and fleets of unmanned ground vehicles in dense cities.
—Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Tom Krisher, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Since then, Musk’s many predictions about fully autonomous vehicles have failed to come true.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 23 Apr. 2024
Tellingly, those figures now include Eric Schmidt, who spent 16 years as Google’s chief executive and is now drawing on lessons from Ukraine to develop a new generation of autonomous drones that could revolutionize warfare.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Increasingly, Tesla's investments are going toward autonomous vehicle technology.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 23 Apr. 2024
It is also intended to help make Abu Dhabi a global R&D hub for autonomous vehicle technology while also inspiring the next generation of STEM talent.
—Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2024
The vote will effectively be a referendum on Musk’s leadership and Tesla’s new autonomous identity.
—Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 18 Apr. 2024
Even if most commercial passengers are aware, on an intellectual level, that the skilled but underutilized pilots in the cockpit are mostly being paid to drink coffee, the idea of fully autonomous flight will require some acculturation.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Raytheon has used game engines to simulate the deployment of new military technologies, including autonomous drone swarms and fleets of unmanned ground vehicles in dense cities.
—Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autonomous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near autonomous
Cite this Entry
“Autonomous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autonomous. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
autonomous
adjective
au·ton·o·mous
ȯ-ˈtän-ə-məs
1
: having autonomy : self-governing
2
: existing independent of anything else
autonomously
adverb
Medical Definition
autonomous
adjective
au·ton·o·mous
ȯ-ˈtän-ə-məs
1
: of, relating to, or marked by autonomy
2
a
: not forming a part (as does an embryo or seed) in the developmental sequence of an organism
b
: responding, reacting, or developing independently of the whole
a tumor is an autonomous growth
3
: under control of the autonomic nervous system
autonomously
adverb
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