autotelic · adj — containing its own meaning or purpose; deriving meaning and purpose from within. It carries an Arena rating of 1432, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, autotelic ranks #4,971 of 17,205 for The Improbable, #5,219 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #5,234 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #5,525 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words.
autotelic is pronounced /ˈɔːtəˌtɛlɪk/.
Why “autotelic” is a great word
Having its purpose or meaning contained within itself, not motivated by external factors. From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, "self") and τέλος (télos, "end, purpose"), first attested in the early 20th century. Unlike "instrumental" (which serves as a means to some external end) or "hedonic" (which pursues pleasure as a distinct reward), autotelic describes an act sustained by its own internal logic and fulfillment. It is the potter shaping clay for the arc of the curve beneath her thumb, the swimmer cutting through pre-dawn water with no race to win, or the child drawing in the dust with a stick, absorbed in the grain and the gesture—a fleeting sanctuary where the world falls quiet around the work that needs no reward but itself.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”) + τέλος (télos, “result; end”); compare auto- and telic. From early 20th century.
adj
- Containing its own meaning or purpose; deriving meaning and purpose from within.
- Of or pertaining to the quality of (a thing's) being autotelic.
- Not motivated by anything beyond itself; thematically self-contained.
noun
- An autotelic person, a person with an autotelic personality.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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