heteronomous.

1. Governed by rules, demands, or forces imposed from outside rather than independently determined.

2. Showing differentiated growth or organization produced by differing controlling forces within a segmented animal.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• heteronomous agency
• heteronomous morality
• heteronomous control

On the page

The machine's decisions remained heteronomous, constrained by commands it could not refuse.

Her essay contrasts heteronomous morality with principles freely endorsed by the agent.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi literary / speculative. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Adjective heteronomous. More heteronomous may compare degrees of external control; biological classification is normally non-gradable. Commonness: uncommon (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: Adjective subject to external control or impositions; specialist biological differentiated growth under distinct controlling forces in segmented animals. Individual usefulness checked for a distinct speculative-writing function. Original definitions and examples; hypothetical theories and fictional applications are not presented as established findings. No inherent mood or intensity is assigned. Writing functions: external control of agency, limits on self-government.