autonomic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the autonomic nervous system.
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Physiology. under the control of the autonomic nervous system.
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Cell Biology. produced by internal forces or causes; spontaneous.
adjective
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occurring involuntarily or spontaneously
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of or relating to the autonomic nervous system
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Also: autonomous. (of plant movements) occurring as a result of internal stimuli
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of autonomic
First recorded in 1825–35; autonom(y) + -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Given the dynamic, subconscious and autonomic nature of interpersonal synchrony, we should all probably give ourselves a break if, unlike Will Rogers, we cannot claim to like everyone we meet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
Neuroscientists call such coordinated movement and autonomic activity “interpersonal synchrony.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
It's part of the autonomic nervous system, which controls things we don't think about, like breathing, heart rate and digestion.
From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025
Your autonomic nervous system regulates heartbeat and blood pressure, but with POTS, the body stops keeping these functions in check, causing symptoms like nausea, dizziness, and extreme fatigue.
From Slate • Sep. 15, 2025
Given the capacity to control autonomic functions, modulate brain waves, run cells, why shouldn’t it be possible to employ exactly the same technology to go in precisely the opposite direction?
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
