1
as in democratic
of, relating to, or favoring political democracy
having rid itself of the yoke of colonialism, the new nation chose to be a self-ruling state
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in independent
not being under the rule or control of another
was granted special status as a self-ruling province
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Recent Examples of self-ruling
Xi also wants to focus on Washington’s stance on Taiwan, the self-ruling democracy that Beijing claims as its territory.
—
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 13 May 2026
But the real change might be in East Asia, where Kim’s belligerence and rising fears regarding China’s designs on self-ruling Taiwan had already reenergized the nuclear debate.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Mar. 2026
Not only that, but Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, lacks the infrastructure and manpower required to make this mining dream a reality.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Like Assad before him, Sharaa now faces complex negotiations toward bringing these self-ruling territories under his command.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
In recent years, Beijing has ramped up economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan – a self-ruling democracy the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own despite having never governed it.
—Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 13 May 2026
But the real change might be in East Asia, where Kim’s belligerence and rising fears regarding China’s designs on self-ruling Taiwan had already reenergized the nuclear debate.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Mar. 2026
Not only that, but Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, lacks the infrastructure and manpower required to make this mining dream a reality.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Like Assad before him, Sharaa now faces complex negotiations toward bringing these self-ruling territories under his command.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
In recent years, Beijing has ramped up economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan – a self-ruling democracy the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own despite having never governed it.
—Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-ruling
Adjective
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The court’s assumption of its supervisory role in the democratic process was the product of the civil-rights era.—
Noah Feldman,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
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His initiatives to combat child malnutrition, improve public transportation and public services solidified his social democratic credentials.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Production was structured along radically independent lines.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 June 2026
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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
Adjective
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Investigators said Morabia Siddhi Suresh, 33, of Fremont, California, had been driving in rainy conditions when she was involved in a separate collision, according to Kentucky State Police.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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The separate bottom-zipper section is an absolute lifesaver if you — like me — are accustomed to bringing along multiple pairs of shoes or want a place to stash wet swimwear or heavy toiletries.—
Tanya Sharma,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-ruling. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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