codependency

American  

[koh-di-pen-duhn-see] / ˌkoʊ dɪˈpɛn dən si /

noun

plural

codependencies

1. an emotionally maladaptive pattern of behavior in which two people are overly reliant on one another, particularly in contexts where one person requires a high degree of support and the other feels defined by the support they give: the relationship between two such individuals.

---

Other Word Forms

• codependence
  noun

Example Sentences

When people have financial difficulties, they can become codependent — but that’s not your codependency, it’s his, and it takes two people to form an unhealthy bond.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

When you’re busy falling in love, it’s easy not to see the line between romance and codependency thinning.

From Salon • Jul. 30, 2025

“Self-disturbances” characterize conditions such as psychosis, depersonalization, borderline personality disorder, codependency, eating disorders and dissociation, among many others.

From Scientific American • Jun. 14, 2023

Beneath this minor socioeconomic disparity lies a much deeper conflict in their friendship: codependency.

From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2023

Specializes in trauma, grief and loss, LGBTQ/sexuality, abuse, codependency, and separation and divorce.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2022