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

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

Danny Booth, an expatriate from the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, said he had decided to “come and have a look before things start to change here.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2023

In a statement, the Law Officers' Department for the self-governing British Crown Dependency said Jersey Police had on Tuesday carried out searches of premises suspected of being connected to Abramovich's business activities.

From Reuters • Apr. 13, 2022

Dependency shouldn't have to be one, yet it is.

From Through these Eyes The courageous struggle to find meaning in a life stressed with cancer by Isaacson, Lauren Ann