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Synonyms

independence

1 American  
[in-di-pen-duhns] / ˌɪn dɪˈpɛn dəns /

noun

  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.

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.

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)

"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
independence 2 British  
/ ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəns /

noun

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

"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
Independence Cultural  

  1. City in western Missouri.

Related Words

See freedom.

Discover More

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

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of independence

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

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.

Sharaa issued a decree last month on Kurdish national rights, including the recognition of Kurdish as an official language for the first time since Syria's independence in 1946.

From Barron's

Calls to discipline economists for their findings threaten the Federal Reserve’s independence and its process of internal debate, which is crucial for policy decisions.

From Barron's

Three years before Mauritius’s independence in 1968, the U.K. split off the archipelago to create a new entity called the British Indian Overseas Territory, in a deal that Mauritians now claim was forced upon them.

From The Wall Street Journal

He added: "Parliament has got to be very clear about the importance of respecting the independence of the criminal process within our country, and within our courts, and I intend to respect that."

From BBC

In December, Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia more than 30 years ago.

From BBC

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.