autonomous
- 01 C1 Advanced
acting or thinking independently without needing help or control from others.
acting independently or having the freedom to do so; capable of making informed, uncoerced decisions.
Simple“The university aims to help students become autonomous learners who can study on their own.”
In context“The curriculum is designed to foster autonomous thinking, encouraging students to challenge established dogmas through rigorous independent research.”
UsageFrequently used in philosophy and psychology to discuss human agency.
Synonymsself reliantfreeAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
describes a machine or system, like a car, that can operate without a human driver.
relating to a device or vehicle capable of sensing its environment and operating without human involvement.
Simple“Many companies are testing autonomous cars that can drive safely through city traffic.”
In context“The deployment of autonomous underwater vehicles has revolutionised deep-sea exploration by allowing for extended missions without the need for a support vessel.”
UsageOften modifies nouns like 'vehicle', 'drone', or 'system'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a special way of using a verb where the person doing the action is not named.
referring to a verb form that indicates an unspecified agent, functionally similar to the passive voice but maintaining the theme as an object.
Simple“In some languages, an autonomous verb form is used to say that something happened without saying who did it.”
In context“The Irish autonomous form allows the speaker to focus on the action itself while leaving the agent entirely unspecified, distinct from the standard passive construction.”
UsageSpecific to Celtic linguistics and certain grammatical frameworks.
Synonyms
“If it succeeds, CADRE will be the first time NASA has operated multiple rovers beyond Earth as a single autonomous system.”
“Engineers could apply lessons from rhythmic ant swarms to autonomous artificial agents that also need to react as a group to cyclical changes in their environment.”
From autonomy + -ous.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.