autonomous
gb/ɔtˈɑnəməs/ us/ɔtˈɑnəməs/
B2
Engleză
~ 7900
Sensuri
0 sensuri
adjective
B2
property
1
self-governing or self-managing
Able to control itself and make its own rules, without another person or group in charge.
Tipar de utilizare:
an autonomous [region/organization/body]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes think 'autonomous' means 'alone' or 'without any connections'. In this sense, it does not mean being isolated; it means having the power to make your own decisions, even while still being part of a larger country or organization. Another common mistake is using 'autonomy' where 'independence' is more natural in casual speech; 'autonomous' and 'autonomy' are more formal and often used for official or legal status.
Sinonime
independent (Broader and more common; does not always imply formal legal or organizational self-rule.)
|
self-governing (Very close in meaning; used especially for political units like regions or territories.)
|
self-ruling (Less common and a bit more formal; emphasizes political control over one’s own affairs.)
Antonime
dependent (Describes a region or body that relies on and is controlled by another authority.)
|
controlled (Highlights that decisions are made by an external authority, not by the group itself.)
Colocații
autonomous region
|autonomous community
|autonomous body
|autonomous institution
|largely autonomous
|autonomous organization
Teme
politics
|business
|society
|law
Exemple
- The region is officially autonomous but still relies on the central government for funding.
- Universities in this country are largely autonomous and set their own academic policies.
- The local council wants to become more autonomous from the national education ministry.
- The company operates as an autonomous subsidiary within the larger group.
- They formed an autonomous student body to represent their interests to the administration.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Scotland is not a fully autonomous country.
- Each school in this area is autonomous and makes its own rules.
- The city wants to be more autonomous from the national government.
- This office is autonomous and does not report to head office.
- The island used to be autonomous, but now it is under central control.
adjective
technical
B2
property
2
self-operating machines or systems
Able to work or move by itself, without a person always controlling it, especially about machines or vehicles.
Tipar de utilizare:
an autonomous [vehicle/system/drone/robot]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners often confuse 'autonomous' with 'automatic'. An automatic machine follows a preset action when something happens (for example, an automatic door opens when you walk near it). An autonomous machine, like an autonomous car, can sense its environment and make more complex decisions over time without a person constantly controlling it.
Sinonime
self-driving (Used mainly for cars and other vehicles; less general for other types of machines.)
|
automated (Broader term for machines that work by themselves but may still follow fixed instructions rather than making decisions like an autonomous system.)
|
unmanned (Emphasizes the lack of people on board (e.g., aircraft or spacecraft) rather than the level of decision-making ability.)
Antonime
manual (Describes machines or vehicles that are directly operated by a person rather than working on their own.)
|
remote-controlled (Indicates that a person controls the machine from a distance, so it is not truly autonomous.)
Colocații
autonomous vehicle
|autonomous car
|autonomous drone
|autonomous robot
|autonomous system
|fully autonomous
Teme
technology
|transport
|science
|transportation
Exemple
- The company is testing autonomous vehicles on public roads this year.
- An autonomous drone delivered the package to our doorstep.
- They are developing an autonomous system to monitor and adjust the factory’s energy use.
- Fully autonomous cars still face legal and safety challenges.
- The warehouse uses autonomous robots to move goods between storage areas.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Many people are afraid of autonomous cars.
- This factory uses autonomous robots to carry boxes.
- The plane can fly in an almost autonomous mode.
- An autonomous drone filmed the race from the air.
- Engineers are working on an autonomous bus for the city.
adjective
formal
B2
property
3
personally independent or self-directed
Able to decide what to do and how to do it without a boss or teacher watching closely.
Tipar de utilizare:
an autonomous [worker/learner/team]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes use 'autonomous' only for countries or machines and do not realize it can describe people, teams, or learning styles. Another mistake is using it in very casual speech where 'independent' or 'on your own' would sound more natural; 'autonomous' is more formal and often appears in academic or business contexts.
Sinonime
self-directed (Common in education and work contexts; focuses on managing one’s own learning or tasks.)
|
independent (Broader and more common; does not always emphasize structured freedom in a work or study setting.)
|
self-reliant (Highlights emotional and practical independence, relying on oneself rather than on others.)
Antonime
dependent (Describes someone who relies on others for decisions, direction, or support.)
|
micromanaged (Emphasizes that a person’s work is controlled in excessive detail by a manager or supervisor.)
Colocații
autonomous learners
|highly autonomous
|autonomous workers
|autonomous teams
|autonomous learning
|autonomous decision-making
Teme
work
|education
|psychology
|business
Exemple
- Our company looks for highly autonomous employees who can manage their own projects.
- The course is designed for autonomous learners who are comfortable studying on their own.
- Small, autonomous teams are more flexible and can respond quickly to customer needs.
- She prefers an autonomous role where she can plan her own schedule.
- The study found that more autonomous workers reported higher job satisfaction.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- He is very autonomous and does not need help with his tasks.
- The teacher wants students to be more autonomous in their learning.
- In this job you must be autonomous and organize your own time.
- The team is autonomous and makes its own plans.
- She became more autonomous after moving to a new city.
adjective
technical
C1
property
4
functionally independent within a system
Working by itself inside a bigger system, without being guided or controlled by other parts.
Tipar de utilizare:
an autonomous [process/subsystem/growth]
Greșeală frecventă:
This sense is mostly used in technical writing, so learners may mix it up with the everyday political sense of 'autonomous'. In scientific contexts, it usually describes a process or part that does not respond much to normal controls, not a country or person.
Sinonime
independent (General term; in technical writing it may need support to show the specific type of independence.)
|
self-contained (Emphasizes being complete in itself and not needing input from other parts.)
Antonime
interdependent (Highlights that parts of a system depend on each other rather than functioning separately.)
|
regulated (Suggests that the process is controlled or adjusted by other mechanisms in the system.)
Colocații
autonomous process
|autonomous growth
|autonomous activity
|autonomous subsystem
|autonomous unit
Teme
science
|medicine
|technology
Exemple
- The tumor shows autonomous growth, unaffected by normal hormonal signals.
- Each module functions as an autonomous unit within the larger network.
- The researchers observed autonomous activity in this part of the brain.
- An autonomous subsystem controls temperature without input from the main processor.
- The model treats households as autonomous agents making their own decisions.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- This part of the brain has almost autonomous activity.
- The machine has an autonomous unit that checks for errors.
- Scientists studied the cell’s autonomous growth.
- Each part of the system is not fully autonomous.
- The process is autonomous and does not need other signals.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
autonomous
IPA
GB/ɔtˈɑnəməs/
US/ɔtˈɑnəməs/
Silabe și accent
autonom - ous (2 silabe)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ous)
Forme ale cuvântului
Adjective
- Base: autonomous
Familie de cuvinte
Core family
autonomy
noun B2
autonomously
adverb B2
Negative and opposite forms
non-autonomous
adjective
Expresii
autonomous body
1/ɔtˈɑnəməs bˈɑdi/
fixed phrase
formal
self-governing organization
An official group or organization that makes its own decisions without being directly controlled by the government or another group.
Exemple
- The commission will operate as an autonomous body funded by public money.
- Universities are often described as autonomous bodies within the education system.
- They called for an autonomous body to oversee media standards.
autonomous community
1/ɔtˈɑnəməs kəmjˈunɪti/
fixed phrase
formal
self-governing political division
In some countries, especially Spain, a main political region that has its own government and some powers separate from the central government.
Exemple
- Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain.
- Education policy is partly controlled by each autonomous community.
- The new law affects all autonomous communities equally.
autonomous driving
1/ɔtˈɑnəməs dɹˈaɪvɪŋ/
fixed phrase
technical
self-operating mode of driving
When a car or other vehicle controls the driving itself using computers and sensors instead of a person.
Exemple
- The company aims to offer full autonomous driving by 2030.
- Autonomous driving still requires strict safety testing and clear rules.
- He is doing research on the social impact of autonomous driving.
autonomous drone
1/ɔtˈɑnəməs dɹˈoʊn/
fixed phrase
technical
self-flying unmanned aircraft
A flying machine without a pilot on board that can plan its own path and complete tasks without a person moving the controls all the time.
Exemple
- The company is experimenting with autonomous drones for package delivery.
- Researchers used an autonomous drone to survey the forest after the fire.
- Regulators are still deciding where autonomous drones can legally fly.
autonomous region
1/ɔtˈɑnəməs ɹˈid͡ʒən/
fixed phrase
formal
self-governing area within a state
A part of a country that has its own government and can make many of its own laws.
Exemple
- The island is recognized as an autonomous region with its own parliament.
- Several autonomous regions in the country have different tax rules.
- Talks continue over whether the province should become an autonomous region.
autonomous robot
1/ɔtˈɑnəməs ɹˈoʊbˌɑt/
fixed phrase
technical
self-operating robot
A robot that can move and act by itself using sensors and software, without a person controlling every move.
Exemple
- The lab is testing an autonomous robot that can clean hospital rooms.
- Autonomous robots are used to explore dangerous areas, such as disaster zones.
- They demonstrated an autonomous robot that can navigate a busy warehouse.
autonomous system
1/ɔtˈɑnəməs sˈɪstəm/
fixed phrase
technical
self-managing technical system or network
A technical system or computer network that can control its own work without people watching it all the time.
Exemple
- An autonomous system manages data traffic between large parts of the internet.
- They built an autonomous system to balance the load across servers.
- The research group is designing an autonomous system for environmental monitoring.
autonomous vehicle
1/ɔtˈɑnəməs vˈiɪkəl/
fixed phrase
technical
vehicle that drives itself
A car, truck, or other vehicle that can drive by itself without a person using the steering wheel or pedals all the time.
Exemple
- Several cities are running tests with autonomous vehicles on public roads.
- The new law sets safety standards for autonomous vehicles.
- Investors are excited about companies that build autonomous vehicles.