reliance
Americannoun
-
confident or trustful dependence.
- Synonyms:
- assurance, faith, trust, confidence
-
something or someone relied on.
noun
-
dependence, confidence, or trust
-
something or someone upon which one relies
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reliance
Explanation
The word reliance is the noun form of the verb rely, which means to depend. Your reliance on the Internet for your information will be your undoing, if the power ever goes out. A person's reliance on something is their dependence on it. A mime's reliance on silence is the key to his performance: if he speaks, he'll be ruined. Your reliance on the kindness of strangers makes sense when you consider that you'll never run out of strangers upon whom to rely. Too bad you can't just lean on the folks that you know.
Vocabulary lists containing reliance
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 7
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Space
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"Rosa Parks" by Nikki Giovanni
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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.
A weak yen threatens to accelerate Japan’s inflation, given the country’s heavy reliance on imports of energy and food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
But in the Central Highlands there are concerns about the reliance on China, as well as the risks of oversupply as more farmers join the rush.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
The concern now is that, without mitigation, a modern day Carrington Event would have significantly greater consequences due to our increasing reliance on technology.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Public Bank is reducing its reliance on wholesale deposits and increasing the use of lower-cost funding sources such as commercial papers and repurchase agreements, she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
In early stages of food production, people simultaneously collected wild foods and raised cultivated ones, and diverse types of collecting activities diminished in importance at different times as reliance on crops increased.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
