Adjacent Words

Independent definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INDEPEND'ENT, a. [in and dependent.]
1. Not dependent; not subject to the control of others; not subordinate. God is the only being who is perfectly independent.
2. Not holding or enjoying possessions at the will of another; not relying on others; not dependent. We all wish to be independent in property; yet few men are wholly independent, even in property, and none independent for the supply of their wants.
3. Affording the means of independence; as an independent estate.
4. Not subject to bias or influence; not obsequious; self-directing; as a man of an independent mind.
5. Not connected with. It is believed the soul may exist independent of matter.
6. Free; easy; self-commanding; bold; unconstrained; as an independent air or manner.
7. Separate from; exclusive.
I mean the account of that obligation in general,under which we conceive ourselves bound to obey a law,independent of those resources which the law provides for its own enforcement.
8. Pertaining to an independent or congregational church. It is followed by of or on, both of which are well authorized. On is most conformable to analogy, for it always follows depend, but of is most common.
INDEPEND'ENT, n. One who, in religious affairs, maintains that every congregation of christians is a complete church, subject to no superior authority, and competent to perform every act of government in ecclesiastical affairs.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: free from external control and constraint; "an independent mind"; "a series of independent judgments"; "fiercely independent individualism" [ant: dependent]
2: (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces; "an autonomous judiciary"; "a sovereign state" [syn: autonomous, independent, self-governing, sovereign]
3: (of a clause) capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence; "the main (or independent) clause in a complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb" [syn: independent, main] [ant: dependent, subordinate]
4: not controlled by a party or interest group n
1: a neutral or uncommitted person (especially in politics) [syn: mugwump, independent, fencesitter]
2: a writer or artist who sells services to different employers without a long-term contract with any of them [syn: freelancer, freelance, free-lance, free lance, independent, self-employed person]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Date: 1611 1. not dependent: 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 (as axioms or equations) of the set under consideration; especially having linear independence <an independent set of vectors> (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 5 <an independent clause> b. neither deducible from nor incompatible with another statement <independent postulates> Synonyms: see free • independently adverb II. noun Date: 1644 1. 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 2. one that is independent; especially often capitalized one that is not bound by or definitively committed to a political party

U.S. Military Dictionary

(*) A merchant ship under naval control sailed singly and unescorted by a warship. See also military independent.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 a (often foll. by of) not depending on authority or control. b self-governing. 2 a not depending on another person for one's opinion or livelihood. b (of income or resources) making it unnecessary to earn one's living. 3 unwilling to be under an obligation to others. 4 Polit. not belonging to or supported by a party. 5 not depending on something else for its validity, efficiency, value, etc. (independent proof). 6 (of broadcasting, a school, etc.) not supported by public funds. 7 (Independent) hist. Congregational. --n. 1 a person who is politically independent. 2 (Independent) hist. a Congregationalist. Derivatives: independently adv.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Independent In`de*pend"ent, a. [Pref. in- not + dependent: cf. F. ind['e]pendant.] 1. Not dependent; free; not subject to control by others; not relying on others; not subordinate; as, few men are wholly independent. A dry, but independent crust. --Cowper. 2. Affording a comfortable livelihood; as, an independent property. 3. Not subject to bias or influence; not obsequious; self-directing; as, a man of an independent mind. 4. Expressing or indicating the feeling of independence; free; easy; bold; unconstrained; as, an independent air or manner. 5. Separate from; exclusive; irrespective. That obligation in general, under which we conceive ourselves bound to obey a law, independent of those resources which the law provides for its own enforcement. --R. P. Ward. 6. (Eccl.) Belonging or pertaining to, or holding to the doctrines or methods of, the Independents. 7. (Math.) Not dependent upon another quantity in respect to value or rate of variation; -- said of quantities or functions. 8. (U. S. Politics) Not bound by party; exercising a free choice in voting with either or any party. Independent company (Mil.), one not incorporated in any regiment. Independent seconds watch, a stop watch having a second hand driven by a separate set of wheels, springs, etc., for timing to a fraction of a second. Independent variable. (Math.) See Dependent variable, under Dependent. Syn: Free; uncontrolled; separate; uncoerced; self-reliant; bold; unconstrained; unrestricted.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Independent In`de*pend"ent, n. 1. (Eccl.) One who believes that an organized Christian church is complete in itself, competent to self-government, and independent of all ecclesiastical authority. Note: In England the name is often applied (commonly in the pl.) to the Congregationalists. 2. (Politics) One who does not acknowledge an obligation to support a party's candidate under all circumstances; one who exercises liberty in voting.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(independents) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If one thing or person is independent of another, they are separate and not connected, so the first one is not affected or influenced by the second. Your questions should be independent of each other... Two independent studies have been carried out. ADJ: oft ADJ of/from n • independently ...several people working independently in different areas of the world. ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj, oft ADV of/from n 2. If someone is independent, they do not need help or money from anyone else. Phil was now much more independent of his parents... She would like to be financially independent... ? dependent ADJ: oft ADJ of/from n • independently We aim to help disabled students to live and study independently. ADV: ADV after v, ADV adj/-ed 3. Independent countries and states are not ruled by other countries but have their own government. Papua New Guinea became independent from Australia in 1975. ADJ: oft ADJ from/of n 4. An independent organization or other body is one that controls its own finances and operations, rather than being controlled by someone else. ...an independent television station. ADJ: ADJ n 5. An independent school does not receive money from the government or local council, but from the fees paid by its students' parents or from charities. (BRIT) He taught chemistry at a leading independent school. ? state ADJ: usu ADJ n 6. An independent inquiry or opinion is one that involves people who are not connected with a particular situation, and should therefore be fair. The government ordered an independent inquiry into the affair... ADJ: ADJ n 7. An independent politician is one who does not represent any political party. There's been a late surge of support for an independent candidate. ADJ: usu ADJ n • An independent is an independent politician. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Free, self-directing, unrestricted, unrestrained, absolute, voluntary, exempt from arbitrary control. 2. [Said of persons.] Unconstrained, unconventional, self-reliant, bold. 3. [Said of circumstances.] Easy, unconstrained, competent.

Moby Thesaurus

Laodicean, abounding in riches, affluent, alien, anythingarian, apart, apart from, apathetic, arbitrary, aside from, autarchic, autarkic, autonomous, barring, besides, beyond, big-rich, bold, centrist, comfortable, competent, controlled, detached, disconnected, discrete, discretional, discretionary, disgustingly rich, disinterested, disjunct, disrelated, dissociated, distinct, elective, erect, even, except for, excluding, exclusive of, exotic, external, extraneous, fat, fence-sitter, fifty-fifty, firm-minded, flush, foreign, forward, free, free lance, free spirit, free trader, free will, free-spirited, freethinker, freewheeling, frightfully rich, gratuitous, half-and-half, house-proud, ignoring, impartial, importunate, in funds, in the money, incommensurable, incomparable, independently rich, independently wealthy, indifferent, individual, individualist, individualistic, inner-directed, insular, irrelative, irrespective of, isolated, isolationist, latitudinarian, liberal, libertarian, libertine, loaded, loner, luxurious, made of money, maverick, midway, moderate, moneyed, mugwump, mugwumpian, mugwumpish, neuter, neutral, nonaligned, noncommitted, nonconformist, nonmandatory, nonpartisan, nothingarian, notwithstanding, offered, on the fence, oofy, optional, opulent, other, outlandish, outside, passive, prideful, proffered, prosperous, proud, proud as Lucifer, proud-blooded, proud-looking, proud-minded, proud-spirited, proudful, proudhearted, provided for, purse-proud, pushy, removed, rich, rich as Croesus, rolling in money, rugged individualist, segregate, self-acting, self-active, self-asserting, self-assertive, self-assured, self-centered, self-confident, self-contained, self-controlled, self-dependent, self-determined, self-determining, self-directing, self-esteeming, self-expressive, self-governed, self-governing, self-helpful, self-helping, self-improving, self-possessed, self-reliant, self-respecting, self-restrained, self-subsistent, self-sufficient, self-supporting, self-sustained, self-sustaining, separate, separated, sovereign, spontaneous, stiff-necked, strange, strong-minded, strong-willed, swing vote, third force, third world, third-force, third-world, unaffiliated, unallied, unasked, unassociated, unbesought, unbiased, unbidden, uncalled-for, uncoerced, uncommitted, uncommitted voter, uncompelled, unconnected, uncontrolled, undecided, unearned, unfettered, unforced, uninfluenced, uninvited, uninvolved, unlimited, unprejudiced, unpressured, unprompted, unrelatable, unrelated, unrequested, unrequired, unrestrained, unrestricted, unsolicited, unsought, voluntary, volunteer, wallowing in wealth, warm, wealthy, well provided for, well-fixed, well-heeled, well-off, well-to-do, willful