interdependence

noun

in·​ter·​de·​pen·​dence ˌin-tər-di-ˈpen-dən(t)s 

variants or interdependency

ˌin-tər-di-ˈpen-dən(t)-sē 

plural interdependences or interdependencies

1

: the state of being dependent upon one another : mutual dependence

interdependence of the two nations' economies

… a form of symbiosis, of close mutual interdependence of two species of organisms.

—Marston Bates

… the deep psychological interdependence between ourselves and those we love.

—Judith A. Savage

… understood the interdependence of mental, physical, and spiritual health.

—Donald N. Levine

But plants happen to grow in these little universes we call ecosystems, where they are sustained by complex webs of interdependency with fungi, microbes, animals, and other plants.

—Kenneth Brower

2

: a mutually dependent relationship

Growing global interdependencies further muddy the debate, making it harder to know who "we" are and what "our" national interests really are.

—Peter H. Schuck

There are complex interdependences among these factors …

—Victor H. Benenberg

Examples of interdependence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump has thus misread the Brazilian political landscape by assuming that external pressure would weaken Lula, overlooking the extent to which Brazil’s economic interdependence with China and the pragmatism of its electorate constrain any sharp foreign policy realignment in Washington’s favor. —Hussein Kalout, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2025

Language is one example of an innovation that may well have been born of interdependence. —Elissa Strauss, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2025

In generative AI investments, task interdependence magnifies agency costs by making responsibility diffuse, information asymmetric, and incentives misaligned. —Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025

Great powers must also contend with the constraints of interdependence. —Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 16 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for interdependence

• superintendence
• ascendance
• attendance
• dependance
• dependence
• transcendence
• tendance