Also the state or quality of being independent.
freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.
Archaic. a competency.
a city in W Missouri: starting point of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails.
a town in SE Kansas.
See freedom.
Beginning of the Santa Fe Trail, used by settlers moving west.
First recorded in 1630–40; independ(ent) + -ence
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“These are children, seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities whose independence and quality of life depend on these services every single day.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Up until this point, my son had been an authorized user on one of my cards, but after turning 20 he wanted more independence.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
"We are continuing to move forward. Europe has never needed unity, greater independence and greater sovereignty more than it does now," he said.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
It is, she says, "frustrating" as well as "extremely" limiting for her independence.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
The US followed a similar growth model after independence.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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.
