reliant
Americanadjective
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having or showing dependence.
reliant on money from home.
-
confident; trustful.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reliant
Explanation
To be reliant is to depend on someone or something. When you're reliant on a person, you need that person. There are a lot ways people and things can be reliant. Kids are reliant on their parents for food and shelter. We're all reliant on the police to keep us safe, but the police are reliant on the government for funding. Being reliant is about being dependent. If you can do without something, you're not reliant on it. When you feel like you don't need other people, you can say you're self-reliant.
Vocabulary lists containing reliant
Catching Fire
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The World Is Flat
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Essential Question Vocabulary (Unit 2)
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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.
All that has made the kingdom ever more reliant on U.S. largesse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Thailand’s economy remains reliant on manpower-heavy industries such as tourism and farming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The fires at Wildberries have affected sellers reliant on the platform, some of whom have posted frustrated social media messages.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
No team in history to have scored more than 10 times have been more reliant on two players' goals in a single World Cup.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
They are tied to networks, reliant on phones, eager to communicate their messages and science, use technology to develop and further it.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
