dependency

American  

[dih-pen-duhn-see] / dɪˈpɛn dən si /

Or dependancy

noun

dependencies plural

1. the state of being dependent; dependence.

2. something dependent or subordinate; appurtenance.

3. an outbuilding or annex.

4. a subject territory that is not an integral part of the ruling country.

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dependency British  

/ dɪˈpɛndənsɪ /

noun

1. a territory subject to a state on which it does not border

2. a dependent or subordinate person or thing

3. psychol overreliance by a person on another person or on a drug, etc

4. another word for dependence

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondependancy
  noun
• self-dependency
  noun
• nondependency
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• dependencies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dependency

First recorded in 1585–95; dependence + -y ³

Explanation

Dependency happens when you can't function without the help of someone or something. If you have a dependency on coffee, you need it to be human in the morning. Not sure? Ask the people you live with. A dependency on the help or support of another person isn't necessarily negative, but other kinds of dependency — on something habit-forming or addictive, like cigarettes — can be harmful. You can also use this noun to mean "a country, province, or territory controlled by a bigger, more powerful country." Guam and Puerto Rico, which don't have complete independence from the US, can be called dependencies.

Example Sentences

In 2021, she joined the county counsel, assigned to Juvenile Dependency Court.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Thousands more sites are thought to be contaminated across Europe, and the Crown Dependency of Jersey has become a focal point for efforts to tackle the impacts.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2025

Alderney, a British Crown Dependency and part of the Channel Islands, has an independent president and a 10-member parliament.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2024

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands and a self-governing British Crown Dependency near the coast of northern France.

From Seattle Times • May 6, 2021

Late in 1976 Air New Zealand decided to commence a series of non-scheduled sightseeing journeys from New Zealand to the Ross Dependency region and return to this country without a touch-down at any intermediate point.

From Judgments of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand on Proceedings to Review Aspects of the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Mount Erebus Aircraft Disaster C.A. 95/81 by New Zealand. Court of Appeal