Origin: Greek prefix auto-
Autonomous has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
(of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces
"an autonomous judiciary"
"a sovereign state"
existing as an independent entity
"the partitioning of India created two separate and autonomous jute economies"
(of persons) free from external control and constraint in e.g. action and judgment
"The veteran judge was known for her autonomous decision-making, often ruling against popular opinion when she believed it was unjust."
Self-governing. Intelligent, sentient, self-aware, thinking, feeling, governing independently.
"The newly developed robot was truly autonomous because it could analyze its surroundings and make complex decisions without any human intervention."
In plain English: Autonomous means having the freedom to make your own choices and act without needing help from others.
"The autonomous vehicle drove itself through traffic without any human input."
Usage: Use autonomous to describe systems or entities that operate and make decisions without external control or supervision. This term is often applied to vehicles, software agents, or political regions functioning with a high degree of independence.
The word autonomous comes from Greek through French and originally meant being free or independent of control by others. It entered English with the same core meaning to describe something that operates on its own authority without external interference.