in·de·pen·dent
ˌin-də-ˈpen-dənt 
1
: not dependent: such as
a(1)
: not subject to control by others : self-governing
(2)
: not affiliated with a larger controlling unit
an independent bookstore
b(1)
: not requiring or relying on something else : not contingent
an independent conclusion
(2)
: not looking to others for one's opinions or for guidance in conduct
(3)
: not bound by or committed to a political party
c(1)
: not requiring or relying on others (as for care or livelihood)
independent of her parents
(2)
: being enough to free one from the necessity of working for a living
a person of independent means
d
: showing a desire for freedom
an independent manner
e(1)
: not determined by or capable of being deduced or derived from or expressed in terms of members (such as axioms or equations) of the set under consideration
(2)
: having the property that the joint probability (as of events or samples) or the joint probability density function (as of random variables) equals the product of the probabilities or probability density functions of separate occurrence
2
capitalized
: of or relating to the Independents
3
a
: main sense 5
an independent clause
b
: neither deducible from nor incompatible with another statement
independent postulates
independently
adverb
1
: one that is independent
especially, often capitalized
: one that is not bound by or definitively committed to a political party
2
capitalized
: a sectarian of an English religious movement for congregational autonomy originating in the late 16th century, giving rise to Congregationalists, Baptists, and Friends, and forming one of the major political groupings of the period of Cromwell
Synonyms
Examples of independent in a Sentence
Adjective
The country recently became independent.
They have a good deal of independent authority.
She has an independent income.
Another laboratory has provided independent confirmation of the test results.
She is a very independent person.
She has an independent mind.
They lead an independent life.
Noun
She registered to vote as an Independent.
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Those schools were, according to former pupils, hotbeds of cruelty and child abuse — an independent investigation in 2005 found evidence of criminal assault at the boys’ school in the 1970s and ’80s — as well as highly traditionalist values.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Now some issues, like the local content requirements on Netflix in a number of European countries, are pushing out non-local production, and what falls out at the bottom is always us independents.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for independent 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Four years later, the Coastal Act established the commission as an independent and permanent agency with the power to review construction and other activities in the coastal zone, which extends from high tide to as much as five miles inland.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Those schools were, according to former pupils, hotbeds of cruelty and child abuse — an independent investigation in 2005 found evidence of criminal assault at the boys’ school in the 1970s and ’80s — as well as highly traditionalist values.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
Take the last two presidential elections when in 2016, Trump won independents by 4 points; while in 2020, Biden won this group by 13 points.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Now some issues, like the local content requirements on Netflix in a number of European countries, are pushing out non-local production, and what falls out at the bottom is always us independents.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for independent
Dictionary Entries Near independent
Cite this Entry
“Independent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/independent. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
independent
1 of 2 adjective
in·de·pen·dent
ˌin-də-ˈpen-dənt
1
: not being controlled or ruled by another : free
an independent nation
2
: not having connections with another : separate
the same story told by independent witnesses
3
: having or providing enough money to live on without anyone else's help
also
: not having to work for a living
a person of independent means
4
: not easily influenced
an independent mind
5
: having full meaning in itself and capable of standing alone as a simple sentence : main entry 2
an independent clause
6
: not belonging to a political party
7
: having probabilities such that whether or not one event takes place does not influence whether or not another event takes place
the outcomes of the tossing of two dice are independent
independently
adverb
independent
2 of 2 noun
: one that is independent
especially
: a voter who doesn't belong to a political party
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