dependent

American  

[dih-pen-duhnt] / dɪˈpɛn dənt /

Or dependant

adjective

1. relying on someone or something else for aid, support, etc.

2. conditioned or determined by something else; contingent.

   Our trip is dependent on the weather.

3. subordinate; subject.

   a dependent territory.

4. Grammar. not used in isolation; used only in connection with other forms. In I walked out when the bell rang, when the bell rang is a dependent clause.

5. hanging down; pendent.

6. Mathematics.

   1. (of a variable) having values determined by one or more independent variables.

   2. (of an equation) having solutions that are identical to those of another equation or to those of a set of equations.

7. Statistics. (of an event or a value) not statistically independent.

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noun

dependents plural

1. a person who depends on or needs someone or something for aid, support, favor, etc.

2. a child, spouse, parent, or certain other relative to whom one contributes all or a major amount of necessary financial support.

   She listed two dependents on her income-tax form.

3. Archaic. a subordinate part.

dependent British  

/ dɪˈpɛndənt /

adjective

1. depending on a person or thing for aid, support, life, etc

2. (postpositive; foll by on or upon) influenced or conditioned (by); contingent (on)

3. subordinate; subject

   a dependent prince

4. obsolete hanging down

5. maths

   1. (of a variable) having a value depending on that assumed by a related independent variable

   2. (of a linear equation) having every solution as a solution of one or more given linear equations

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noun

1. grammar an element in a phrase or clause that is not the governor

2. a variant spelling (esp US) of dependant

Commonly Confused

See dependant

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overdependent
  adjective
• predependent
  adjective
• quasi-dependent
  adjective
• self-dependent
  adjective
• semidependent
  adjective
• undependent
  adjective
• dependantly
  adverb
• dependently
  adverb
• quasi-dependently
  adverb
• self-dependently
  adverb
• semidependently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dependents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dependent

First recorded in 1375–1425, dependent is from the late Middle English word dependaunt. See depend, -ent

Explanation

Being dependent means relying on something. Many people are dependent on coffee in the morning, while a dependent is someone who relies on you for financial support. In grammar-land, a dependent clause can’t stand alone because it’s a fragment. Dependent comes from pendant, the French word for "hanging.” If you break your leg, you will be dependent, or hanging, on crutches to get around. Kids are dependents of their parents, since they rely on them for food and shelter. A drug addict is dependent on drugs. And if a decision is dependent on your mood, that means it depends on or will be decided by how you feel.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dependent dependents

An example of this is that plants that the bees are dependent upon being in flower when the bees aren’t around.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Unforeseen events could eventually leave them dependent on public assistance, re-creating the kind of poverty that Social Security was designed to prevent after the Great Depression.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

"The final outcome for FY26 remains dependent on the important remaining bookings, as well as fuel prices, which continue to be volatile," the carrier said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

"You don't know how much time you have been given, so therefore you need to try and ensure you are less dependent on other people."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

The result was again the start of farming dependent on crops from elsewhere, a failure to domesticate local species, and a massive modern replacement of human population.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Even after leaving dependents behind, the Ten Thousand were chronically short of food, and their efforts to feed themselves becomes one of this book’s driving themes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Household expenses vary greatly by size, and the amount of emergency reserves needed may look different, depending on how many incomes there are, how secure their jobs are and whether there are dependents.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

Stringent regulations for some visa applicants — notably those coming to the U.S. to study or for work-study programs and their dependents — have further clouded America’s image as a destination.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

Zalewski said his government was prepared to build infrastructure to house new troops and their dependents so the American units could be permanently stationed in Poland.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Fifth, Denman had the money neither to pay us well nor to guarantee a decent sum to our dependents in case something happened to us.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• defenseless
• poor
• reliant
• vulnerable