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• independence
  independence

  noun

  Also the state or quality of being independent.
• Independence
  Independence

  noun

  a city in W Missouri: starting point of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails.

independence

¹ American  

[in-di-pen-duhns] / ˌɪn dɪˈpɛn dəns /

noun

• independence
  plural

1. Also the state or quality of being independent.

2. freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.

3. Archaic. a competency.

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Independence ² American  

[in-di-pen-duhns] / ˌɪn dɪˈpɛn dəns /

noun

1. a city in W Missouri: starting point of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails.

2. a town in SE Kansas.

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Independence ¹ British  

/ ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəns /

noun

1. a city in W Missouri, near Kansas City: starting point for the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails (1831–44). Pop: 112 079 (2003 est)

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independence ² British  

/ ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəns /

noun

1. Also called: independency. the state or quality of being independent

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Independence Cultural  

1. City in western Missouri.

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Synonym Usage

See freedom.

Discover More

Beginning of the Santa Fe Trail, used by settlers moving west.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interindependence
  noun
• preindependence
  noun
• superindependence
  noun
• postindependence
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• independence
  plural

Etymology

Origin of independence

First recorded in 1630–40; independ(ent) + -ence

Explanation

Independence is the state of being free of the control of some other person, country or entity. Revolutions are all about obtaining independence, most famously perhaps the Revolutionary War in America, which led to America's freedom from Britain. Independence comes from a nice medieval French word, depenre, meaning "to hang from," or "to hang down." The in at the beginning is Latin for "not," so the word originally meant "not hanging from," which is a neat description of what countries achieve by throwing off their colonizers. Teenagers also commonly seek independence from their parents — but perhaps not financial independence.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

independence Independence

They help us carry shopping, lift objects and maintain posture, all of which support independence.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America, is a republic and so Charles will be making a state visit on the 60th anniversary of its independence from Britain.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Chairman Kevin Warsh seems to understand the danger to Fed credibility and independence and has adopted an ingenious if obvious approach: Get the Fed out of the building business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

County described its long-standing support of the county starting an ethics commission and compliance office and ensuring that it comes with true independence, transparency, sufficient funding and the authority to conduct investigations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

During the first two decades after the war for independence from Britain, large numbers of first- and second-generation Ulster Scots moved westward into the Ohio Valley, western Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

That was the day Guilfoyle held an American Independence Day celebration in Athens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

This July 4, timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, came the White House report.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026

It was Mexican Independence Day in 1926, a few years before the Great Depression and the forced removal of Mexicans and Mexican Americans that followed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

There was a lively atmosphere as a mariachi band entertained the crowd on Mexican Independence Day weekend, before Mexican-American Garcia took to the stage.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Outside the palace walls, the women of Gbadolite are squatting in their yards, boiling manioc in salvaged hubcaps, and if you asked them the meaning of Independence they’d scowl and shake a stick at you.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• ability
• autonomy
• self-determination
• self-government
• self-reliance
• self-rule
• self-sufficiency
• separation
• sovereignty