1
as in autonomous
able to take care of oneself or itself without outside help
an independent young man who moved out of his parents' house while still a college student
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sovereign
not being under the rule or control of another
finally they are an independent people, after centuries of domination by their more powerful neighbors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of independent
Between 2020 and 2024, the number of probate and estate cases entering state courts rose about 32%, based on data from 39 states, according to the independent nonprofit National Center for State Courts.
—
Medora Lee, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
Afterward, Miller — whose campaign opponents say is supported by around $5 million in campaign contributions and independent expenditures tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a group that advocates for Israel’s interests — pushed back against Peters’ criticism.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
No party affiliation/independent voters support the idea 60%-40%.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
The independent agency investigates all fatal general aviation accidents, including commercial accidents and incidents, as well as significant accidents across the various modes of transportation and pipeline accidents.
—Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for independent
Medora Lee, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
Afterward, Miller — whose campaign opponents say is supported by around $5 million in campaign contributions and independent expenditures tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a group that advocates for Israel’s interests — pushed back against Peters’ criticism.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
No party affiliation/independent voters support the idea 60%-40%.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
The independent agency investigates all fatal general aviation accidents, including commercial accidents and incidents, as well as significant accidents across the various modes of transportation and pipeline accidents.
—Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for independent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for independent
Adjective
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Due to its open-source, unrestricted, and autonomous operating features, the project quickly spread after its release and has been regarded as one of the most accessible AI agent projects.—
,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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That effort triggered its escalating feud with Anthropic PBC, which sought guardrails on using its technology for domestic surveillance and in fully autonomous weapons.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And now even today, most of our investors at the later stage are sovereign wealth funds and institutions.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, the race for European sovereign space access is intensifying as several startups approach flight milestones, supported by over € 900million in collective funding from the European Launcher Challenge.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Yet launching a conversation around mental health with an audience magnet as powerful as Radcliffe is on balance an excellent thing.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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But generating stable and powerful light in this region has proven difficult because most materials strongly absorb it.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Not long after the festival, the band went their separate ways.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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The stock rebounded after a separate filing Monday showed controlling shareholders plan to increase their stakes through open-market purchases.—
Shirley Zhao,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Future outposts on the moon will need to be as self-sufficient as possible to avoid the high cost of constantly shuttling supplies from Earth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
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But Beijing has also made tremendous strides in homegrown technologies, a key goal of its previous plan, which was all about making the country more self-sufficient, especially ending its reliance on American and other Western technologies.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The spending is based on forecasts that imports will continue to grow faster than the US economy as a whole, and that Trump’s push to make America more self-reliant won’t change that.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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Matthew Fox, the Golden Globe-winning star of Lost (2004–2010), will play Paul, who's characterized as an outdoorsman and self-reliant bachelor.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Independent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/independent. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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