dependency

or de·pend·an·cy

[dih-pen-duh n-see]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dependency ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural de·pend·en·cies.

the state of being dependent; dependence.

something dependent or subordinate; appurtenance.

an outbuilding or annex.

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

RELATED WORDS

need, addiction, colony

Nearby words

Origin of dependency

First recorded in 1585–95; dependence + -y³

Related formsnon·de·pend·an·cy, noun, plural non·de·pend·an·cies.non·de·pend·en·cy, noun, plural non·de·pend·en·cies.self-de·pend·en·cy, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dependency

So the dependency story is strange and uneven, and especially nasty when it comes to women.
Here’s Why You Helpless Tramps Don’t Vote Republican|Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And needless to say, smoking dope in the past month is not evidence of abuse or dependency.
One War We Should Be Happy to Lose Once and For All: the Drug War|Nick Gillespie|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Too many Americans—including Christians—are afraid that helping the poor will create ‘dependency.’
When Did ‘Dependence’ Become a Dirty Word?|Gene Robinson|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They went out of their way to tell me how such programs “breed” complacency, laziness, and—wait for it—dependency.
When Did ‘Dependence’ Become a Dirty Word?|Gene Robinson|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As civil war loomed, Byron reckoned that dependency or continued occupation were the most probable outcomes.
Poet and Rake, Lord Byron Was Also an Interventionist With Brains and Savvy|Michael Weiss|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the middle of the 10th century the territory of Bar (Barrois) formed a dependency of the Empire.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3|Various
It has been said that that republic is become a dependency of Germany.
England and Germany|Emile Joseph Dillon
This cause lost them America, and this cause will lose them every dependency, where they attempt to play the like game.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. I (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton
The Dominions were proclaimed as partners; was India to remain a Dependency?
The Case For India|Annie Besant
The status of the Fare Islands is that of an integral portion of the kingdom, not that of a dependency.
The Governments of Europe|Frederic Austin Ogg

British Dictionary definitions for dependency

dependency

sometimes US dependancy

noun plural -cies

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

a dependent or subordinate person or thing

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

another word for dependence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dependency

dependency

1590s (adj.), 1610s (n.); see dependent + -cy. Originally also dependancy, on the French model, but the Latinate form gradually pushed this into disuse; see -ance. Meaning "territory subordinate to another nation" is recorded from 1680s.

dependency

or de·pend·an·cy

noun, plural de·pend·en·cies.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of dependency

Examples from the Web for dependency

dependency

sometimes US dependancy

noun plural -cies

dependency