Synonyms of independent

independent

adjective

ˌin-də-ˈpen-dənt 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• autonomous
• powerful
• self-sufficient
• self-reliant
• self-dependent
• self-sustaining
• self-sustained
• free
• self-supported
• self-supporting
• strong
• self-subsistent
• self-subsisting
• self-determining
• resilient
• potent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dependent
• inadequate
• insufficient
• incompetent
• reliant
• helpless
• weak
• impotent

2

as in separate

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

• autonomous
• separate
• sovereign
• democratic
• freestanding
• free
• liberated
• self-governing
• empowered
• self-governed
• sovran
• self-ruling
• freed
• emancipated
• republican
• released
• freeborn
• unsupervised
• delivered
• redeemed
• manumitted
• unconquered
• unruled
• enfranchised

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dependent
• subject
• nonautonomous
• unfree
• captive
• bound
• subdued
• subjugated
• enslaved
• conquered
• fettered
• subordinate
• non-self-governing
• subservient
• inferior

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

Recent Examples of independent

Miles Davis’ music rights have a new home following an agreement between the late jazz great’s estate and the independent music rights company Reservoir Media. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025

The New Wave, presented in partnership with Film Independent, SAGindie, Easterseals Disability Services and Plot Shift Media, returns with a two-part program spotlighting the next generation of artists shaping independent film. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025

International organizations swiftly condemned the lethal crackdown by police and called for an independent investigation. —Sugam Pokharel, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025

More than 350 Greenlandic Indigenous women and girls, including some 12 years old and younger, reported that they were forcibly given contraception by Danish health authorities in cases that date back to the 1960s, according to an independent investigation’s findings released Tuesday. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025