The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word AUTONOMY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
A
U
T
O
N
O
M
Y
More clues leading to the result AUTONOMY
- Car well able to convey limited number, offering independence
- Independence of a posh man accepting prestigious award
- My aunt loves freely being able to do as she wishes
- Independence from you? Not amused!
- Many too prepared to restrict universal independence
- Car goes round on my own control
- Many initially opted out in conflict for independence
- Independence gained by number in car, wow!
- Large amount in gold: love my independence
- Car now reduced my freedom
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "being able to do as she wishes" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case being able to do as she wishes = autonomy.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does AUTONOMY mean?
AUTONOMY noun- Self-government; freedom to act or function independently.
- The capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision.
- The capacity of a system to make a decision about its actions without the involvement of another system or operator.
- The status of a church whose highest-ranking bishop is appointed by the patriarch of the mother church, but which is self-governing in all other respects. Compare autocephaly.