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autonomous

aw-TON-uh-muhs /ɔːˈtɒn.ə.məs/

adjectiveC1GRESATTOEFLIELTS

technicalacademicformal

Operating or functioning independently without direct human control or external guidance.

Implies a high level of decision-making capability, where the system senses its environment and adapts its behavior to achieve a goal, rather than just following a rigid, pre-programmed path.

The story behind the word. Originally used in ancient Greece to describe city-states that lived by their own laws rather than being ruled by a foreign power. In the mid-20th century, engineers adopted the term to describe machines that could govern their own actions without human operators pulling the strings.

Word relationships

independent: Independent is a general term for not relying on others, whereas autonomous specifically implies self-governing capability guided by internal rules or algorithms.
self-directed: Self-directed is often used for human learning or behavior, while autonomous is preferred for technical systems and machines.

dependent: Dependent systems rely entirely on external control, power, or continuous human inputs to function.
manual: Manual operations require direct, step-by-step human physical intervention.

Commonly confused with

automatic: Automatic systems perform a pre-defined sequence of actions without human intervention (like a timer), whereas autonomous systems can make independent decisions based on changing environmental inputs.

Word family

autonomy (noun): The state or condition of self-government or independence.
autonomously (adverb): In an autonomous or independent manner.

Collocations

autonomous vehicle
autonomous system
fully autonomous
autonomous navigation

Example sentences

"The company successfully tested its autonomous delivery drones in a crowded urban environment." A discussion on the future of transportation and self-driving vehicles.
"Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are essential for mapping the ocean floor where tethered rovers cannot reach." An academic paper on deep-sea exploration technology.

Memory hook

Think of an 'auto' (car) that is 'nom' (like a nomad, wandering freely) because it drives itself without a driver. Auto-nomous = Self-ruling.

When not to use

Do not use to describe simple automatic machines like a toaster or a traditional washing machine, which are automatic but not truly autonomous because they cannot adapt to unexpected changes in their environment.

Fun facts

The first autonomous vehicle was developed in the 1980s by Ernst Dickmanns at the Bundeswehr University Munich, driving on empty streets at speeds up to 60 mph using computer vision.