Dictionary.com

independence

[ in-di-pen-duhns ]
/ ˌɪn dɪˈpɛn dəns /
Save This Word!

noun
Also independency. the state or quality of being independent.
freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.
Archaic. a competency.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of independence

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

synonym study for independence

1. See freedom.

OTHER WORDS FROM independence

in·ter·in·de·pend·ence, nounpost·in·de·pend·ence, adjectivepre·in·de·pend·ence, nounsu·per·in·de·pend·ence, noun

Other definitions for independence (2 of 2)

Independence
[ in-di-pen-duhns ]
/ ˌɪn dɪˈpɛn dəns /

noun
a city in W Missouri: starting point of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails.
a town in SE Kansas.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use independence in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for independence (1 of 2)

independence
/ (ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəns) /

noun
the state or quality of being independentAlso called: independency

British Dictionary definitions for independence (2 of 2)

Independence
/ (ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəns) /

noun
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)
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

Cultural definitions for independence

Independence

City in western Missouri.

notes for Independence

Beginning of the Santa Fe Trail, used by settlers moving west.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK