unmanned
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
All five words describe technology that operates without direct human presence, but each focuses on a different aspect. Unmanned simply states that no people are on board or on site — a ship can be unmanned even if a person on land steers it remotely. Automated emphasises that a process runs by itself according to a program, but there may still be staff nearby (an automated factory has floor workers). Autonomous goes further: the system makes its own decisions using sensors and AI, like a self-driving car that chooses its own route. Driverless is narrower, used only for road vehicles such as taxis and buses. Remote-controlled always implies a human operator at a distance via a radio link — a toy drone flown by a child on the ground is remote-controlled, not autonomous. Choose unmanned when the key fact is the absence of people; choose autonomous when the key fact is independent decision-making.
Common collocations
Etymology
From un- (not) + manned (supplied with a crew). The word first appeared in the 1500s with the now-obsolete meaning 'not trained' (used of hawks in falconry). The modern sense 'without a human crew' developed in the 20th century alongside aviation and space exploration.