independent

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/ˌɪndɪˈpendənt/
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Freedom from control or reliance sits at the core, extending to separate facts, fair outside judgment, unaffiliated political people, and small businesses or creators outside large organizations.
Practice using independent in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The two witnesses gave independent accounts of the accident.
  • The distributor works with independents as well as national chains.
  • The studio wanted to stay independent rather than join a larger company.
  • Independents often decide close elections.
  • The alarms run on independent circuits.

Similar words

neutral
unaffiliated voter
sovereign
unbiased
unlinked
free agent
impartial
free
nonpartisan candidate
self-governing

Meanings

Free from control or support

adjective
everyday
neutral
Able to act, govern, live, or operate without being controlled or supported by another person, group, or country.

Examples

  • She became financially independent after college.
  • The island is now an independent nation.
  • The organization remains independent of government funding.
  • He raised an independent child who could solve problems alone.
  • The studio wanted to stay independent rather than join a larger company.
  • An independent power supply keeps the hospital running during outages.

Similar words

autonomous
self-reliant
self-sufficient
self-governing
free
sovereign
uncontrolled
standalone

Separate and not affected

adjective
technical
neutral
Existing or changing separately, so one thing does not depend on, cause, or directly affect the other.

Examples

  • The test results were independent of the patient’s age.
  • In the experiment, light level was the independent variable.
  • The two witnesses gave independent accounts of the accident.
  • The alarms run on independent circuits.
  • The model treats the two events as independent.
  • Several independent studies reached the same conclusion.

Similar words

separate
unconnected
unrelated
distinct
unlinked
uncorrelated
standalone

Fair because separate

adjective
public life
neutral
Not tied to the people or organizations being judged, so an opinion, review, or decision can be trusted as fair.

Examples

  • The board ordered an independent review of the safety failure.
  • An independent auditor checked the company’s accounts.
  • The court relied on independent expert evidence.
  • The article appeared in an independent newspaper.
  • Residents asked for an independent investigation into the fire.
  • The panel must remain independent of the minister’s office.

Similar words

impartial
unbiased
neutral
objective
disinterested
nonpartisan
fair
detached

Unaffiliated political person

noun
politics
neutral
A voter, candidate, or elected official who is not formally attached to a political party.

Examples

  • An independent won the seat by a narrow margin.
  • Many independents disliked both major parties.
  • She ran as an independent after leaving the party.
  • The senator caucuses with one party but remains an independent.
  • Independents often decide close elections.
  • The debate included two party nominees and one independent.

Similar words

unaffiliated voter
nonpartisan candidate
unaligned politician
free agent

Small unaffiliated business

noun
business
neutral
A business, trader, artist, publisher, or producer that works outside a large company, chain, or controlling organization.

Examples

  • Local independents struggled when the chain opened nearby.
  • The festival gives space to independents in film and music.
  • She moved from a major label to an independent.
  • The shop is one of the few independents left on the high street.
  • Online platforms helped small independents reach new customers.
  • The distributor works with independents as well as national chains.

Similar words

indie
small business
local business
independent trader
independent producer

Etymology

Formed from in-, meaning not, + dependent. It entered English in the early 1600s, partly on the model of French indépendant, first for churches and nations and later for people, politics, and unbiased judgment.

FAQ

What does independent mean?

Independent means free from control, support, or influence, or separate enough that one thing does not depend on another.

Is independent an adjective or a noun?

Independent is both. It is usually an adjective, but it can also mean an unaffiliated political person or a small unaffiliated business.

Should it be independent of or independent from?

Independent of is the usual choice for freedom from control, support, influence, or connection. Independent from is common with political separation and independence movements.

What is an independent in politics?

An independent is a voter, candidate, or elected official who is not formally attached to a political party.

What is an independent variable?

An independent variable is the variable treated as separate or controlled in order to see its effect on another variable.

What is an independent review?

An independent review is done by someone separate from the people or organization being judged, so the result is more credible.

What is the adverb form of independent?

The adverb is independently, as in The lab tested the samples independently.

What is the origin of independent?

Independent was formed from in- plus dependent, with influence from French indépendant, and has been used in English since the early 1600s.

Comments & contributions

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Sunny Terrapin
Jul 15
independiente is so close in Spanish that I overuse independent in English sometimes
0
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Tawny Sandpiper
Jul 13
spelled it independant on my CV once. pain
1
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Contribution
Crimson Reindeer
Jul 9
Stats students: independent observations and an independent variable are different things. If the same patient is measured 10 times, those rows are probably not independent observations.
2
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Chipper Horse
Jul 6
indie came from independent, but now it can be more of a genre label than a business fact. indie pop does not mean someone checked the cap table lol
3
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Violet Fox
Jul 4
independent expenditure in American elections does NOT mean neutral spending. It can be a very obvious attack ad, it just has to be not coordinated with the campaign or party.
3
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Marble Seal
Jul 1
In US work/tax talk, independent contractor is not just fancy for freelancer. The IRS cares about who controls how the work is done, expenses, tools, benefits, the whole relationship.
4
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Polar Hawk
Jun 23
UK school vocab is a trap here. An independent school is basically a fee-paying private school, and then public school can also mean private school in Britain, not the US meaning.
5
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Cloudy Sandpiper
Jun 23
I would write developed independently of Google, not independently from Google. from makes me expect a breakaway story, like a country splitting off or a studio leaving a parent company
11
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