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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

Research on financial well-being suggests for young Americans today, securing a sense of prosperity and independence requires reaching this six-figure milestone earlier in life, as time is so valuable in investing.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

Nauru, which was a dependent territory of Australia until independence in 1968, was heavily mined in the late 20th Century.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Viegas D'Abreu, 43, is promoting himself as a representative of those born after the country's independence in 1975.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

But Alexander Hamilton, among others, recognized that a national bank, in harnessing private wealth to create public credit, was as vital to independence as a military victory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

His career, indeed his entire life, was made by the American Revolution; and he, in turn, had made American independence his life’s project.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

As a delegate to the Continental Congress, he voted twice against adopting the Declaration of Independence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Garcia is American with Mexican heritage and the fight will take place on the weekend before Mexican Independence Day.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

I had my AirPods in, and my gingham shirt and bandana signaled I was ready to celebrate Independence Day.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

Also new to the story is Independence, Kan., itself, which in the book is an offstage place to which Pa will sometimes go to fetch necessities, disappearing from the story until he returns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

The newspaper said he would raise the flag over Independence Hall this week in Philadelphia, then journey on to the Pennsylvania capitol in Harrisburg.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

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