interdependent

adjective in·ter·de·pen·dent \ ˌin-tər-di-ˈpen-dənt \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Definition of interdependent

: dependent upon one another : mutually dependent

interdependent statistical variables

… the interdependent gyrations of double suns …
—James Joyce

… the interrelationships between social groupings were reciprocal and interdependent.
—Howard P. Chudacoff

In an interdependent world, every nation is dependent upon every other.
—Michael Novak

—

interdependently

play \ˌin-tər-di-ˈpen-dənt-lē\ adverb

- Atlantis is to have its own economic activities, but the city is to function interdependently with other centers in the greater Cape Town region.
- —John Western

See interdependent defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of interdependent from the Web

This interdependent relationship raised difficult questions for the Canadian government in light of Trump’s evident animosity and imperviousness to facts.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: North Korea summit prep encapsulates Trump’s winging-it presidency," 11 June 2018
Taking photos, looking at photos and being the subject of photos are mutually reinforcing activities in which the participants are interdependent and complicit.

— New York Times, "What Does It Mean to Look at This?," 24 May 2018
This can be reduced, like most things related to the brain, to the patterns of spatially and temporally distinct and interdependent neuron activations.

— zach schonbrun, New York Times, "How Do Athletes’ Brains Control Their Movements?," 13 Apr. 2018
In other words, the sending, measuring, and scattering of radiation are interdependent.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "A few Wi-Fi transmitters and your house becomes a coprocessor," 30 Apr. 2018
Privacy and competition are becoming increasingly interdependent conditions for protecting rights online.

— jessi hempel, WIRED, "Competition Is at the Heart of Facebook’s Privacy Problem," 24 Apr. 2018
With warmer temperatures, most species moved their habits earlier, but interdependent species didn't always move at the same rate.

— CBS News, "Global warming is messing up nature's dinner time, study says," 17 Apr. 2018
More likely, as grids are interconnected so as to diversify supply, more interdependent countries will conclude that manipulating the market is self-defeating.

— The Economist, "Welcome an electric world. Worry about the transition," 15 Mar. 2018
Forest trees have evolved to live in cooperative, interdependent relationships, maintained by communication and a collective intelligence similar to an insect colony.

— diàna markosian, Smithsonian, "Do Trees Talk to Each Other?," 22 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interdependent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.