Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective independent contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of independent are autonomous, free, and sovereign. While all these words mean "not subject to the rule or control of another," independent implies a standing alone; applied to a state it implies lack of connection with any other having power to interfere with its citizens, laws, or policies.

the colony's struggle to become independent

Where would autonomous be a reasonable alternative to independent?

Although the words autonomous and independent have much in common, autonomous stresses independence in matters pertaining to self-government.

in this denomination each congregation is regarded as autonomous

When can free be used instead of independent?

While in some cases nearly identical to independent, free stresses the complete absence of external rule and the full right to make all of one's own decisions.

you're free to do as you like

When could sovereign be used to replace independent?

The synonyms sovereign and independent are sometimes interchangeable, but sovereign stresses the absence of a superior power and implies supremacy within a thing's own domain or sphere.

separate and sovereign armed services

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of independent Also featured on day one of this year’s event, in addition to Disney, have been studio Gaumont, independent production powerhouse Banijay, and more. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025 Ma outlined how Openwav pivoted to focus squarely on independent musicians struggling in the streaming era. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025 According to the National Parks Conservation Association, which is an independent advocacy association, the shutdown could shutter 433 park sites across the country. Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025 Soon thereafter, beta particles were identified as electrons, bringing these two independent aspects of reality together. Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for independent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for independent
Adjective
  • If all goes as planned, Charlotte could advance autonomous construction technology on Earth and the Moon.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Anthropic appears to be pushing further ahead of its competitors in coding assistance and autonomous task completion, positioning its models toward corporate and workplace use.
    Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In a separate case, Pedro Juan Andres, 29, from Guatemala, was taken into custody after entering the United States without inspection.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Woolen made the Pro Bowl and finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2022 but has been temporarily benched in each of the last two seasons, for separate reasons (the latter due to a rule violation, according to Macdonald).
    Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In the picture, a large brown bear stands at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve as a sockeye salmon, attempting to make its way over the rapids, lands in the predator’s powerful jaws.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The powerful currents of flash floods can carry drivers off the road.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and institutional investors have a role to play in seeding this layer of the market, just as crossover funds have done in the US.
    Aman Ghei, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Norway’s sovereign wealth fund recently dropped several Israeli investments.
    Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • He’s lived in self-sufficient solitude in the woods of Northern England for decades, tending to his psychic wounds.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2025
  • These subsidies were cunning, part of a decades-long effort to keep alive the myths that offshore wind energy is nearly self-sufficient and generates increasingly inexpensive electricity.
    Craig Rucker, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Instead, Battilana emphasizes that learning your way around the kitchen from a young age can help a person feel more self-reliant.
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 30 Sep. 2025
  • And yet Birkin was far from the self-reliant gamine embodied by Clara Bow.
    Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The film’s plot is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy that Indians should be self-dependent to achieve their goals.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Mar. 2023
Adjective
  • For this, researchers from China have developed various next-generation triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which offer a self-sustaining power solution for marine regions.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Leading to a self-sustaining economic loop where revenue generated from global-facing media products is reinvested directly into local wages, taxes, and services, fostering a stable foundation for multi-generational upward mobility.
    Stephanie Tharpe, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Independent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/independent. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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