Autonomy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɔːˈtɒn.ə.mi/

Definitions

1. The state of being self-governing and having the freedom to make one's own choices without external control
2. The capacity to act and decide independently according to one's own values and desires without interference from others
3. Freedom to govern oneself and make personal decisions based on individual judgment rather than external authority
4. The capacity to act independently and make decisions according to one's own principles without interference from others
5. Independence in thought and action, allowing individuals or groups to govern themselves and determine their own course

Etymology: The Greek city-states gave this word its core idea long before anyone used it for nations. "Autonomia" in ancient Greek meant the freedom of a community to live under its own laws, and the word is built from "autos" ("self") and "nomos" ("law", related to "nemein", "to distribute or manage"). A law-giver's rules, in other words, belonged to the citizens who made them rather than to an outside ruler. English borrowed the word directly from Greek, so it arrived as a learned term rather than through the everyday speech of the Middle Ages. Its sense has stayed close to that original: a self-governing body, or the right to rule oneself, rather than a personal quality of independence. The "-y" ending is simply the Greek suffix "-ia" that turns an adjective into an abstract noun, so "autonomy" is the state of being "autonomous".

Synonyms: independence, self-governance, freedom, sovereignty, liberty

Antonyms: dependence, subjugation, control, domination, subordination