as in independent
not being under the rule or control of another
far beyond the reach of civil or military authorities, the settlers on the frontier were essentially self-governed
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Recent Examples of self-governed
If individuals are self-governed and do the right thing, less laws and cameras are needed.
—
Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
Being self-governed is one of the essential human needs, and those who have a firm sense of their self-concept are able to manage their emotions well and make wiser choices.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Mar. 2026
As a management company, RealManage supports the association’s right to be self-governed.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, after Nationalist forces fled to the island following their defeat by Chinese Communist powers.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 29 Dec. 2025
Overcrowded, under-resourced, and often effectively self-governed, these facilities have long served as incubators where armed groups recruit, reorganize, and expand their influence.
—Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 10 Dec. 2025
Greenland, which became self-governed in 2009, was colonized by Denmark some 300 years ago and still controls Greenland’s foreign and defense policies.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Local nonprofit Safe Ground Sacramento was responsible for operating the camp, which was self-governed by residents.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
Council membership is entirely self-governed, vendor free, and prioritizes cross-industry members to ensure nuanced perspectives.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
Being self-governed is one of the essential human needs, and those who have a firm sense of their self-concept are able to manage their emotions well and make wiser choices.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Mar. 2026
As a management company, RealManage supports the association’s right to be self-governed.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, after Nationalist forces fled to the island following their defeat by Chinese Communist powers.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 29 Dec. 2025
Overcrowded, under-resourced, and often effectively self-governed, these facilities have long served as incubators where armed groups recruit, reorganize, and expand their influence.
—Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 10 Dec. 2025
Greenland, which became self-governed in 2009, was colonized by Denmark some 300 years ago and still controls Greenland’s foreign and defense policies.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Local nonprofit Safe Ground Sacramento was responsible for operating the camp, which was self-governed by residents.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
Council membership is entirely self-governed, vendor free, and prioritizes cross-industry members to ensure nuanced perspectives.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-governed
Adjective
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Production was structured along radically independent lines.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 June 2026
-
Aside from best film, Sivaci won best director while Erdener shared best actress prize with Italian actress Greta Scarano for her performance in social romcom Piccolo Miracolo, as a fiercely independent blind woman who finds love in an unaccepted place.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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As geopolitical competition intensifies and adversaries rapidly scale autonomous systems of their own, autonomy increasingly becomes a national security imperative.—
Tim Burns,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
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Such a drone boat is supposedly capable of continuous, autonomous loiter operations in which the Corsair maintains its position while autonomously regulating power consumption and only engaging its engine when needed, according to a Saronic blog post.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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On the last earnings call, CEO Jitendra Mohan stressed that hyperscalers, AI labels and sovereign entities are all signaling the buildout is still in the early innings, underpinned by real monetization, and return on investment — not on speculative demand.—
Todd Gordon,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
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The promise of sovereign AI is that a country can keep its models, data, and compute power at home.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-governed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-governed. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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