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
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
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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Three Republicans opposed the measure — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky — alongside every Democratic senator.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
1 July 2025
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Presenting as Muslim perhaps exempted him from comparisons to 2020 Democratic Congressional candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni from Texas, who used his polyglot skills to reach a wide array of voters, but was chastised for seemingly pandering to Hindu conservatives.—
Alexandra Bregman,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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But those satellites are controlled by myriad federal agencies, which, according to knowledgeable insiders, are too fiercely independent to coöperate smoothly.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
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What was the reason to go that route and release the first independent record since your debut album?—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Ukraine launched autonomous craft from catapults and snared Russian drones in fishing nets.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
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The autonomous vehicle industry is expected to expand considerably, and Waymo is well-positioned to capture a significant share of this burgeoning market.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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The government has met all revenue targets and is set to announce a strong sovereign rating from Standard & Poor’s, further cementing its economic stability.—
Panorama Media Ltd,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
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Among the seven cornerstone investors are Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, which is the investment trust’s second-largest shareholder after sponsor NTT.—
Zinnia Lee,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Breakthroughs on four separate fronts—bigger and better hardware, smarter algorithms, hybrid quantum-classical workflows and developer-friendly software—are compounding to pull the future forward.—
Yuval Boger,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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Meeting the challenge of finger-level control Achieving separate movement for each robotic finger is a real challenge.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-ruling. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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