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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

The Polisario Front, an independence movement founded in 1973, opposed the deal.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

The dispute intensified after rulings by European institutions challenging the independence of the tribunal in its current form.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Later, during their war for independence from Britain, the separatists relied on militias to fight the British and their Indigenous allies.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

He visited Independence Park in Georgetown to remember the Demerera Slave Rebellion of 1823, which saw an uprising by thousands of enslaved people.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 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

Year: 2014 Compiled by: Ben Blatt Of note: Every Declaration of Independence signatory is ranked here by how many square inches their name takes up.

From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026

Philadelphia, where the Continental Congress had created a new nation by drafting and signing the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, was doomed.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

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Related Words

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