self-ruling

adjective

ˌself-ˈrü-liŋ How to pronounce self-ruling (audio)
Definition of self-rulingnext
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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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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-ruling 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 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 See All Example Sentences for self-ruling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-ruling
  1. democratic
  2. independent
  3. autonomous
  4. sovereign
  5. separate
Adjective
  • Ideological fractures linger among Democrats Some Democratic officials worry that the rise of democratic socialists within the party presents a political problem for candidates in swing districts.
    — Steve Peoples, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • While independence allows central bankers to make decisions without short-term political interference from presidents wanting to juice the economy, credible external scrutiny helps provide the democratic legitimacy for that independence.
    — Paul Wachtel, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of democratic
Adjective
  • Meta is also promising to do a better job of verifying users' ages and has agreed to report regularly to an independent auditor.
    — Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The agreement also fully exempts credits for independent film — which account for 10% of the $750 million program — from the cap.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of independent
Adjective
  • On the Chinese side of the border, in the autonomous region of Tibet, the deluge overwhelmed Gyirong Port, a major border crossing with Nepal that, in scenes reminiscent of a disaster movie, appears to have been completely washed away.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The pilot covered one subsystem, rather than demonstrating autonomous maintenance of an entire quantum computer.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of autonomous
Adjective
  • When the 2008 global financial crisis triggered the eurozone crisis, the deficit countries experienced sovereign debt crises, unemployment, austerity, and prolonged stagnation that unwound the imbalances.
    — MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Cosine, pitched as Britain’s first fully sovereign frontier AI model, has attracted corporate partners including BAE Systems, PwC, and Lloyds Banking Group, the FT reports.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of sovereign
Adjective
  • Trump does not appear anywhere else on the website, aside from a list of endorsements that previously appeared on the homepage but has been moved to a separate page.
    — Steve Peoples, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Luiz understands that aspect, too, acknowledging that Sporting KC needed him four separate times during Thursday’s news conference.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of separate

Browse Nearby Words

self-rule
self-ruling
self-sacrifice
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Cite this Entry

“Self-ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-ruling. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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