What does Independent mean?

Definitions for Independent
ˌɪn dɪˈpɛn dəntIn·de·pen·dent

Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word Independent.

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

mugwump, independent, fencesitter(noun)
a neutral or uncommitted person (especially in politics)
freelancer, freelance, free-lance, free lance, independent, self-employed person(adj)
a writer or artist who sells services to different employers without a long-term contract with any of them
independent(adj)
free from external control and constraint
"an independent mind"; "a series of independent judgments"; "fiercely independent individualism"
autonomous, independent, self-governing, sovereign(adj)
(of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces
"an autonomous judiciary"; "a sovereign state"
independent, main(a)(adj)
(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"
independent(adj)
not controlled by a party or interest group

Wiktionary(2.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

independent(Noun)
A candidate or voter not affiliated with any political party, a free thinker, free of a party platform.
Etymology: From Latin independens, present participle from prefix in-, not, plus dependens, dependent or literally hanging from, from verb dependere, depend, hang from, from prefix de-, from or concerning, plus pendere, hang
independent(Noun)
A neutral or uncommitted person.
Etymology: From Latin independens, present participle from prefix in-, not, plus dependens, dependent or literally hanging from, from verb dependere, depend, hang from, from prefix de-, from or concerning, plus pendere, hang
independent(Adjective)
not dependent; not contingent or depending on something else; free
Etymology: From Latin independens, present participle from prefix in-, not, plus dependens, dependent or literally hanging from, from verb dependere, depend, hang from, from prefix de-, from or concerning, plus pendere, hang
independent(Adjective)
not affiliated with any political party
Etymology: From Latin independens, present participle from prefix in-, not, plus dependens, dependent or literally hanging from, from verb dependere, depend, hang from, from prefix de-, from or concerning, plus pendere, hang

Webster Dictionary(3.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

Independent(adj)
not dependent; free; not subject to control by others; not relying on others; not subordinate; as, few men are wholly independent
Independent(adj)
affording a comfortable livelihood; as, an independent property
Independent(adj)
not subject to bias or influence; not obsequious; self-directing; as, a man of an independent mind
Independent(adj)
expressing or indicating the feeling of independence; free; easy; bold; unconstrained; as, an independent air or manner
Independent(adj)
separate from; exclusive; irrespective
Independent(adj)
belonging or pertaining to, or holding to the doctrines or methods of, the Independents
Independent(adj)
not dependent upon another quantity in respect to value or rate of variation; -- said of quantities or functions
Independent(adj)
not bound by party; exercising a free choice in voting with either or any party
Independent(noun)
one who believes that an organized Christian church is complete in itself, competent to self-government, and independent of all ecclesiastical authority
Independent(noun)
one who does not acknowledge an obligation to support a party's candidate under all circumstances; one who exercises liberty in voting

Freebase(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

Independent
In politics, an independent or nonpartisan politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties. Sometimes they hold a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses. Other independent politicians may be associated with a political party, be former members of it, or have views that align with it, but choose not to stand under its label. Others may belong to or support a political party but believe they should not formally represent it and thus be subject to its policies. Some independents choose to form an alliance rather than a party and have formally registered their "independents" group. In some countries political parties are illegal and all candidates effectively stand as independents. Finally, some independent candidates may form a political party for the purposes of running for public office.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

Independent
in-de-pend′ent, adj. (with of) not dependent or relying on others: not subordinate: not subject to bias: affording a comfortable livelihood: belonging to the Independents: (gram.) of some parts of speech (noun, pronoun, verb), capable of forming sentences without the others.—n. one who in ecclesiastical affairs holds that every congregation should be independent of every other and subject to no superior authority—a Congregationalist: (math.) not depending on another for its value, said of a quantity or function.—ns. Independ′ence, Independ′ency.—adv. Independ′ently.—Declaration of Independence, the document embodying the reasons for the secession of the thirteen colonies of America from England, reported to the Continental Congress, July 4, 1776—observed in the United States as a legal holiday—Independence Day.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

independent
In a military sense, is a term which distinguishes from the rest of the army those companies which have been raised by individuals for rank, and were afterwards drafted into corps that were short of their complement of men. Independent company or troop, is one that is not incorporated into any regiment.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

independent
A type of political candidate or elected politician who represent their constituency or electoral area.
My father stood in the local elections as an independent politician.
Submitted by MaryC on March 25, 2017
independent
Earnings from a variety of sustainable forms of income.
Citizens aspire to be independent people who can earn an income and not have to apply for a government benefit, government support or income.
Submitted by MaryC on March 18, 2017
independent
To review with an impartial intent.
Broadcasters and Journalists are independent communicators of data, proof, information and fact.
Submitted by MaryC on March 8, 2020

British National Corpus

Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Independent' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1015
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Independent' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1727
Adjectives Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Independent' in Adjectives Frequency: #124

How to pronounce Independent?

Alex
US English
Daniel
British
Karen
Australian
Veena
Indian

How to say Independent in sign language?

Numerology

Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of Independent in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of Independent in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of Independent in a Sentence

Aleister Crowley:
The essence of independence has been to think and act according to standards from within, not without. Inevitably anyone with an independent mind must become "one who resists or opposes authority or established conventions": a rebel. If enough people come to agree with, and follow, the Rebel, we now have a Devil. Until, of course, still more people agree. And then, finally, we have --- Greatness.
Mahinda Rajapaksa:
The investigation on Sri Lanka was not carried out by an independent Commission of Inquiry, but for the very first time, by the OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights), neither the OHCHR nor the UNHRC has the authority to set up an international war crimes tribunal. The only body with the authority to do so is the UN Security Council where the veto power of China and Russia will be a factor to contend with.
Emily Deschanel:
Without the TV series 'Bones,' I honestly do not believe that I would have developed an interest in anthropology like I did, besides the field of study, I really admired [the] 'Bones' character. She was smart, strong, independent, and had an exciting life. I wanted to be like that.
John Dewey:
Modern life means democracy, democracy means freeing intelligence for independent effectivenessthe emancipation of mind as an individual organ to do its own work. We naturally associate democracy, to be sure, with freedom of action, but freedom of action without freed capacity of thought behind it is only chaos.
Chuck Schumer:
We feel that the nominee is not apolitical enough, not seasoned enough, not independent enough and has not been forthcoming enough.