The right or condition of self-government; freedom to act or function independently.
The capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision.
The capacity of a system to make a decision about its actions without the involvement of another system or operator.
A self-governing country or region.
The status of a church whose highest-ranking bishop is appointed by the patriarch of the mother church, but which is self-governing in all other respects. Compare autocephaly.
A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power; this system of government.
The office or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
Extreme severity or rigour.
Absolute power, or its use.
A system of government in which power is exercised on behalf of the ruler or ruling class, without regard to the wishes of the governed.