dependent Definition
- 1needing someone or something in order to survive or be successful
- 2a person who relies on another, especially a family member, for financial support
Using dependent: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "dependent" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The baby is dependent on its mother for food and care.
Example
He is financially dependent on his parents.
Example
The company's success is dependent on the economy.
Example
She has been dependent on drugs for years.
dependent Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms for dependent
Antonyms for dependent
- independent
- autonomous
- self-sufficient
Phrases with dependent
a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence
Example
Although he was tired, he couldn't sleep. (The clause 'Although he was tired' is a dependent clause.)
a variable in an experiment that is being measured and is affected by changes in the independent variable
Example
In an experiment to test the effects of fertilizer on plant growth, the height of the plant is the dependent variable.
a mental health disorder characterized by a pervasive psychological dependence on other people
Example
People with dependent personality disorder have difficulty making decisions without reassurance from others.
Origins of dependent
from Latin 'dependere', meaning 'to hang from'
Summary: dependent in Brief
The term 'dependent' [dɪˈpendənt] describes a person or thing that needs someone or something else to survive or succeed. It can refer to financial support, as in 'He is financially dependent on his parents,' or to reliance on substances, as in 'She has been dependent on drugs for years.' 'Dependent' also has technical uses, such as in grammar, where it refers to a clause that cannot stand alone, and in science, where it refers to a variable that is affected by another.
