not influenced or controlled by others in matters of opinion, conduct, etc.; thinking or acting for oneself.
an independent thinker.
not subject to another's authority or jurisdiction; autonomous; free.
an independent businessman.
not influenced by the thought or action of others.
independent research.
not dependent; not depending or contingent upon something else for existence, operation, etc.
not relying on another or others for aid or support.
rejecting others' aid or support; refusing to be under obligation to others.
possessing a competency.
to be financially independent.
sufficient to support a person without their having to work.
an independent income.
executed or originating outside a given unit, agency, business, etc.; external.
an independent inquiry.
working for oneself or for a small, privately owned business.
expressive of a spirit of independence; self-confident; unconstrained.
a free and independent citizen.
free from party commitments in voting.
the independent voter.
Mathematics. (of a quantity or function) not depending upon another for its value.
Grammar. capable of standing syntactically as a complete sentence.
an independent clause.
Logic.
(of a set of propositions) having no one proposition deducible from the others.
(of a proposition) belonging to such a set.
Statistics. statistically independent.
(initial capital letter) adhering or relating to Independency.
an independent person or thing.
a small, privately owned business.
The conglomerates are buying up the independents.
Politics. a person who votes for candidates, measures, etc., in accordance with their own judgment and without regard to the endorsement of, or the positions taken by, any party.
(initial capital letter) an adherent of Independency.
British. a Congregationalist.
free from control in action, judgment, etc; autonomous
not dependent on anything else for function, validity, etc; separate
two independent units make up this sofa
not reliant on the support, esp financial support, of others
capable of acting for oneself or on one's own
a very independent little girl
providing a large unearned sum towards one's support (esp in the phrases independent income, independent means )
living on an unearned income
maths (of a system of equations) not linearly dependent See also independent variable
statistics
(of two or more variables) distributed so that the value taken by one variable will have no effect on that taken by another or others
(of two or more events) such that the probability of all occurring equals the product of their individual probabilities Compare statistical dependence
logic
not validly derivable from one another, so that if the propositions are the axioms of some theory none can be dispensed with
not logically related, so that in no case can the truth value of one be inferred from those of the others
an independent person or thing
a person who is not affiliated to or who acts independently of a political party
If your brother says you broke his guitar and you say you weren't anywhere near it, your parents may ask your sister for an independent opinion, as she has no reason to lie. An independent person is free from the control or influence of other people. The root word, depend, originally meant "to hang down." We use the word hang in a similar way. If the decision to build a new stadium hangs on funding, the decision won't be made till the money comes in. To be independent means that you don't depend on your parents to pay your bills. Or, for a three year old, it may mean going to the bathroom "all by yourself." It's all relative.
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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.
By late June, fuel-rationing measures were in effect in 56 regions of Russia, according to a tally by Mediazona, an independent Russian media outlet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
By Jessica Knoll Scribner: 320 pages, $28 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
He calls himself an independent Republican cut from the same polar-fleece lining as the state’s maverick GOP senator, Lisa Murkowski.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
She was willing to give up the lifestyle she knew and enjoyed in favor of moving to an independent living community closer to her daughter in New England.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
“Massachusetts Board of Education bans disproportionate punishment. But it still happens. Even in private, independent schools like Middlefield Prep.”
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
"Farage's future thrown into doubt as Reform sent into panic by fresh allegations" said the Independent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Wiltshire Police has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, due to previous involvement with the suspect.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Independent information comes from citizens who post videos on social-media platforms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Independent researchers have found little evidence it’s expanded the overall housing supply beyond what the market would have produced without it.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Theodore Tilton was fired from the Independent, so he moved to Europe, where he was offered a job at the Golden Age, a new magazine funded by his nemesis Henry Ward Beecher.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
But any nominee will have to unite Platner's wounded supporters with moderates, independents and women voters wary of a party that just watched its chosen candidate implode.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
We expected immigration positions to tie directly to political affiliation, but results cut across party lines, with 79% of Republicans, 88% of independents and 95% of Democrats in favor.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
The University of Michigan’s conclusion is that its survey findings track closely with the attitudes of independents, making it as reliable as it’s ever been.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
Of the remaining six councillors, there is one Green, three Conservatives and two independents.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
“Every hotel concierge knows who to call if some guest wants tickets. All I’m sayin’ is, it’s not as easy as you think for a couple of independents.
From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar
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.
