1
as in anchor
something or someone to which one looks for support he's been the family's foremost reliance in times of trouble many times

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in dependency
the quality or state of needing something or someone a baby's reliance on her parents his reliance on his next-door neighbor for all the local gossip

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 reliance Community Over Customers The most powerful marketing machine today is sidestepping a reliance on reaching your own audience via algorithms. Sam Saideman, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025 In the wake of hefty tariffs levied by the United States that have bruised global supply chains, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have solidified their own free trade pact aimed at deepening cooperation and reducing reliance on the American export market. Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 28 Oct. 2025 The Golden State’s heavy reliance on intermittent renewables such as wind and solar creates major reliability gaps when the sun sets or the wind stalls. Lora Myers, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025 The van service is also expected to save MPS money by reducing the district's reliance on yellow buses to transport a small number of students, Fifarek said. Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 28 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reliance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reliance
Noun
  • While Europe remains an anchor, the center of gravity has shifted east—and increasingly, south.
    Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Without this anchor of awareness we’ll be met with some problems.
    Colin Bedell, Them., 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The issue is how to inject capital without falling prey to some of the pitfalls of aid dependency.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The move is aimed at cutting India's import dependency for electronic components.
    Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Maintaining positive ties with South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung would continue the lattice-like foreign policy encouraged by Washington, one that favors multilateral cooperation among like-minded nations over bilateral dependence.
    Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Recently, Carbon Robotics launched its autonomous weeder, which uses AI, robotics, and laser technology to navigate fields, precisely identify, and eliminate weeds, enhancing efficiency and reducing chemical dependence.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Peychaud’s Bitters, all cherry and anise as opposed to Angostura Bitters’ cinnamon and clove, combines with the herbal pop of absinthe and the spicy backbone of the rye to create something wholly new.
    Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The administration has moved to eliminate federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)—the very backbone of our nation’s cultural infrastructure.
    Andrew Weinstein, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In the first six months of 2025, the key pillars were still going strong, according to the company’s investor presentation.
    James Manso, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The murder of Griffy, a devoted family man, and pillar of his rural Colorado community, shocked the small town with the involvement of secret lovers, con-artists and elaborate cover-ups.
    Peter White, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • While Vidalia’s executives had a grand vision for their Louisiana mill, the operation often leaned on Mount Vernon as a crutch.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Game night flies by in a montage — the crutch of comedies that can’t sustain conversations and jokes at the same time (or, to be fair, feel crunched for time).
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reliance. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.

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