interdependence
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of interdependence
Explanation
Interdependence is mutual dependence between things. If you study biology, you’ll discover that there is a great deal of interdependence between plants and animals. Inter- means "between," so interdependence is dependence between things. We often use interdependence to describe complex systems. Marriage creates a state of interdependence between spouses. If your dog provides you with love and happiness, and you provide your dog with food and walks (and love and happiness), then your relationship with your dog is one of interdependence.
Vocabulary lists containing interdependence
Word Generation Science - Life Science
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Economics
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President Obama's Speech at Hiroshima
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They are Djeukam Tchameni, president of the Movement for Democracy and Interdependence in Cameroon, and Anicet Ekane, president of the African Movement for the New Independence of Cameroon.
From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025
Interdependence was a huge lightbulb moment in my research.
From Salon • Aug. 26, 2023
As my boyfriend puts it, “Why is there no Interdependence Day?”
From The New Yorker • Nov. 6, 2018
The son of David Nichtern, an accomplished musician and a Buddhist teacher himself, the younger Mr. Nichtern, like his father, teaches in the Shambhala tradition, and also founded the Interdependence Project, a secular meditation group.
From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2017
Interdependence, in-tėr-de-pend-ens, n. mutual dependence: dependence of parts one on another.—adj.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
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.
