noun · neutral
autonomy
UK/ɔːˈtɒnəmi/US/ɔːˈtɑːnəmi/au·TON·o·my
freedom to make your own decisions at work
Examples
“Many software developers prefer roles that give them a lot of autonomy over the way they code.”
“As a project lead she enjoys considerable autonomy in scheduling and budgeting.”
“Higher autonomy often improves job satisfaction and creativity.”
Band 8 sentence
“Employees who are granted autonomy tend to take more responsibility for long‑term outcomes.”
Collocations
- enjoy autonomy
- autonomy in decision-making
- grant autonomy
Word family
Common mistakes
I have many autonomies at work.→I have a lot of autonomy at work.
My boss gave me autonomy to do it.→My boss gave me the autonomy to do it.
Say it for a higher band
5freedom→6independence→7+autonomy
Synonyms
independence
freedom
Easily confused
authority
“The committee has the authority to approve budgets, but individual managers have autonomy over how they spend them.”
Related words
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In Work & Career
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