Of or relating to how organisms, such as green plants, can make complex organic nutritive compounds from simple inorganic sources by photosynthesis: An organism can produce food or nourishment autotrophically from inorganic compounds.

A life form exists autotrophically, needing only carbon dioxide or carbonates as a source of carbon and a simple inorganic nitrogen compound for metabolic synthesis>

An organism thrives autotrophically not requiring a specified exogenous factor for normal metabolism.