autarky

American  

[aw-tahr-kee] / ˈɔ tɑr ki /

Or autarchy

noun

plural

autarkies

1. the condition of self-sufficiency, especially economic, as applied to a nation.

2. a national policy of economic independence.

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autarky British  

/ ˈɔːtɑːkɪ /

noun

1. (esp of a political unit) a system or policy of economic self-sufficiency aimed at removing the need for imports

2. an economically self-sufficient country

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Other Word Forms

• autarkic adjective
• autarkical adjective
• autarkically adverb
• autarkist noun

Etymology

Origin of autarky

First recorded in 1610–20; from Greek autárkeia, “self-sufficiency,” equivalent to aut- aut- + arke-, stem of arkeîn “to be strong enough, suffice” + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

Employment reforms have bedeviled successive Indian governments since the country first opened its economy to the world in 1991, after nearly half a century of autarky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

"Strategic autonomy doesn't mean autarky," Macron said after the speech at the embassy.

From Reuters • Apr. 6, 2023

"The notion of autarky and food security are right up there at the top of policymaking at the moment," he says.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2022

The nation is more porous to outside influences than can suit the regime, which has a despotism’s normal preference for intellectual autarky.

From Washington Post • May 11, 2018

But as Lighthizer argued in a 2008 New York Times op-ed, it’s also possible to view his approach to trade policy as a middle ground between openness to trade at all costs and economic autarky.

From Slate • May 16, 2017