What does "autotelic" mean?
An autotelic person, a person with an autotelic personality.
Autotelic
/ˈɔːtəˌtɛlɪk/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An autotelic person, a person with an autotelic personality.
- Grammar: autotelic is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: intrinsic, self-contained, self-motivated, selfsome.
- Useful contrasts: non-autotelic, nonautotelic, externally motivated.
- Usage evidence: 1988, Antonella Della Fave, Fausto Massimini, 12: Modernization and the changing contexts in work and leisure, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi (editors), Optimal Experience: Psychological Studies of Flow in Consciousness, Cambridge University Press, 1992, Paperback, page 208, It is possible that these three people have jobs that are more autotelic than those of the rest of this group; that they have more responsibility, more initiative and challenge at their workplace than is usual for employees of their type.
How to use "autotelic"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "autotelic" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "autotelic" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "autotelic" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 An autotelic person, a person with an autotelic personality.
"Measuring autotelic personality similarly with young adults, Hektner (1996) confirmed that autotelics were least happy and motivated in apathy (low-challenge, low-skill) situations, whereas nonautotelics (those least motivated in high-challenge, high-skill situations) did not find the apathy condition aversive."
Adjective
- 1 Containing its own meaning or purpose; deriving meaning and purpose from within.
"1988, Antonella Della Fave, Fausto Massimini, 12: Modernization and the changing contexts in work and leisure, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi (editors), Optimal Experience: Psychological Studies of Flow in Consciousness, Cambridge University Press, 1992, Paperback, page 208, It is possible that these three people have jobs that are more autotelic than those of the rest of this group; that they have more responsibility, more initiative and challenge at their workplace than is usual for employees of their type."
- 2 Of or pertaining to the quality of (a thing's) being autotelic.
"1988, Kevin Rathunde, Optimal experience and the family context, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi (editors), Optimal Experience: Psychological Studies of Flow in Consciousness, 1992, Paperback, Cambridge University Press, page 251, The autotelic score was negatively correlated with the anxiety/ambiguity score r = −.57 and negatively correlated with the boredom/rigidity score r = −.36."
- 3 Not motivated by anything beyond itself; thematically self-contained.
"“Running Water Music II” represents a contemporary version of the autotelic poem, freer than its modernist predecessors to assert connections, celebrate openly, declare connections between self and world, but bound by semantic and imagistic frames that derive from a single source."
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to or believing in autotelism wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"1988, Antonella Della Fave, Fausto Massimini, 12: Modernization and the changing contexts in work and leisure, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi (editors), Optimal Experience: Psychological Studies of Flow in Consciousness, Cambridge University Press, 1992, Paperback, page 208, It is possible that these three people have jobs that are more autotelic than those of the rest of this group; that they have more responsibility, more initiative and challenge at their workplace than is usual for employees of their type."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "autotelic"?
Common synonyms include: intrinsic, self-contained, self-motivated, selfsome.
How do you use "autotelic" in a sentence?
1988, Antonella Della Fave, Fausto Massimini, 12: Modernization and the changing contexts in work and leisure, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi (editors), Optimal Experience: Psychological Studies of Flow in Consciousness, Cambridge University Press, 1992, Paperback, page 208, It is possible that these three people have jobs that are more autotelic than those of the rest of this group; that they have more responsibility, more initiative and challenge at their workplace than is usual for employees of their type.
How do you pronounce "autotelic"?
Pronounced /ˈɔːtəˌtɛlɪk/.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”) + τέλος (télos, “result; end”); compare auto- and telic. From early 20th century.