independence
noun
Also the state or quality of being independent.
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independence
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Independence
Independencenouna 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
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Also the state or quality of being independent.
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freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.
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Archaic. a competency.
Independence
2
American
[in-di-pen-duhns]
/ ˌɪn dɪˈpɛn dəns /
noun
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a city in W Missouri: starting point of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails.
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a town in SE Kansas.
Independence
1
British
/ ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəns /
noun
independence
2
British
/ ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəns /
noun
Independence
Cultural
Synonym Usage
See freedom.
Discover More
Beginning of the Santa Fe Trail, used by settlers moving west.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing independence
The American Revolution - Introductory
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Eastern Europe - Introductory
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Pacific Islands - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The US are celebrating independence - how is UK marking it?
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026
America marked its 250th anniversary of independence Saturday in a manner fitting with the times in 2026.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2026
As Americans marked the 250th anniversary of independence, the nation’s largest planned celebration unfolded less like a unified commemoration and more like a stress test — of weather, logistics and competing visions of patriotism.
From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026
Closer to home, modern Canada is 159 years old, while Mexico counts 205 years since its independence from Spain.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
Abigail tended to reinforce this belief in executive independence.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
