autonomous
Loading your saved state.
autonomous
Independent, self-reliant, and acting according to one's own laws or governing oneself. The term can refer to political territories, people, or technical systems.
Die Region fordert, als autonome Provinz anerkannt zu werden.
The region is demanding to be recognized as an autonomous province.
'Autonom' (autonomous) is the adjective corresponding to the noun 'die Autonomie' (autonomy). Both words describe the state of independence or self-government.
Die Universität ist autonom und kann ihre eigenen Regeln festlegen.
The university is autonomous and can set its own rules.
The word comes from Greek: 'auto-' means 'self' and 'nomos' means 'law.' So 'autonom' (autonomous) literally means 'living according to one's own law.'
Einige Künstler leben bewusst ein sehr autonomes Leben.
Some artists deliberately live a very autonomous life.
The context makes the meaning clear: if people are talking about regions, politics, or individuals, independence is meant. If they are talking about cars, robots, or software, it refers to the technical ability to function without human control.
Katalonien ist eine autonome Gemeinschaft in Spanien.
Catalonia is an autonomous community in Spain.
In the political or personal sense, 'autonom' (autonomous) is often combined with nouns such as 'Region' (region), 'Verwaltung' (administration), 'Entscheidung' (decision), or 'Lebensführung' (way of life).
Es war ihre eigene, autonome Entscheidung, den Job zu wechseln.
It was her own autonomous decision to change jobs.
In a technical context, typical combinations are 'autonomes Fahren' (autonomous driving), 'autonome Systeme' (autonomous systems), 'autonome Waffen' (autonomous weapons), or 'autonome Roboter' (autonomous robots).
Ein autonomes System kann selbstständig auf Fehler reagieren.
An autonomous system can respond to errors on its own.
independent
'unabhängig' and 'autonom' can both express that someone or something makes its own decisions or functions without outside control. 'unabhängig' is more general and fits many situations, for example states, people, money, or opinions. 'autonom' sounds more specific and often somewhat more formal. It is often used for political territories, organizations, or technical systems that control themselves. In technology, 'autonom' is especially fitting when a machine works without human intervention. 'unabhängig' means more: not dependent on others. 'autonom' means more: self-controlled or self-governing.
Das autonome Fahrzeug fährt langsam durch die Stadt, ohne dass jemand lenkt.
The autonomous vehicle drives slowly through the city without anyone steering.
Nach dem Gespräch entscheidet das Team unabhängig über den neuen Plan.
After the discussion, the team makes an independent decision about the new plan.