autónomo

autonomous

adjective ow-TOH-noh-moh Less Common

Origin: From Greek 'autonomos', self-governing.

Also means

self-employed

Usage Note

Autónomo carries two very common meanings in Spain: the political sense (a comunidad autónoma is a self-governing region), and the professional sense — a self-employed person (soy autónomo). In the second usage it functions as a noun, so un autónomo / una autónoma means a freelancer or sole trader. Latin American Spanish more often uses independiente for the professional sense.

Examples

"Trabaja como autónomo desde casa."

Natural Translation

He works as a freelancer from home.

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