noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
one's own judgment; arbitrary decision; acting alone
Emphasizes deciding or acting on one's own authority without consulting others, often with a negative nuance of being high-handed or arbitrary. Common in business and formal contexts.
上司に相談せずに独断で契約を進めてしまった。
I went ahead with the contract on my own judgment without consulting my boss.
The team pushed back against his arbitrary way of doing things.
noun
Rare standalone noun use; refers to an attitude of asserting personal opinions as if they were absolute truth. More commonly expressed with 独断論 or 独断主義 in modern Japanese.
その哲学者は独断を排し、常に懐疑的であろうとした。
The philosopher rejected dogmatism and always tried to remain skeptical.