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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

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Etymology

Origin of independence

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

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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

These changes can make everyday activities more difficult and gradually reduce mobility and physical independence.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

“Fed independence is won, in a way. That’s an uncertainty that you can remove,” the chief economist says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Sahrawis were meant to choose between independence and integration with Morocco.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

When Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971, it was among the world's poorest countries, with its economy devastated by war.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Austria issued an ultimatum—a list of demands—that, if accepted, would compromise Serbia’s independence.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Queen Camilla is with the King in Antigua, and they will attend a church service on Sunday morning ahead of joining celebrations to mark Independence Day on the island.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

Optimism peaked around Independence Day, said McNally, who is a former energy adviser to President George W. Bush.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Over the years, the magazine has ranked everything from Super Bowl halftime shows and horrible wedding songs to pre-YouTube viral hits and Declaration of Independence signatures.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

His team also pocketed a hefty sum -- several million dollars -- for travelling to Luanda in November 2025 for a friendly marking Angola's 50th Independence Day celebrations.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

He is also, I have seen, preparing them for the election, and Independence.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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Related Words

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

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