reliance

noun

ri-ˈlī-ən(t)s How to pronounce reliance (audio)
Definition of reliancenext
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

Relevance
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 Floors seven through nine serve as the primary corporate workspace, linked by a central staircase designed to encourage movement and reduce reliance on elevators. — Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026 Countries like the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, and Brazil are instituting similar policies, putting pressure on players in the global energy trade to ease reliance on crude oil. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026 The findings underscore the tension in Africa’s biggest economy between its climate commitments and its reliance on Sasol — widely recognized as the world’s largest single-site emitter of greenhouse gases — for macroeconomic stability. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026 To meet this goal, there will need to be both investment in reactors and reliance on new technology. — Donald Keough, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reliance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reliance
  1. anchor
  2. dependency
  3. backbone
  4. dependence
  5. pillar
Noun
  • Eventually, Yamada resurfaces with beer cans, lighters, sunglasses, two phones and a vape cartridge — but no anchor.
    — Evgenia Anastasakos, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But the focus on the anchor-outs’ relatively modest contribution to bay pollution is indicative of a broader tendency, by no means unique to Marin County, to blame homeless people for everything that goes wrong.
    — Maggie McGowan, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of anchor
Noun
  • If milestones stay fixed while priorities, risks and dependencies keep changing, stakeholders are managing expectations based on outdated assumptions.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • It’s hopefully not imposed by economic dependency or an inability to love outside your ethnicity or religion or language.
    — Gloria Steinem, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of dependency
Noun
  • Ukraine repeatedly has targeted oil facilities that form the backbone of Russia’s economy, one of the world’s largest energy producers.
    — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Building the nuclear backbone One focus will be NANO Nuclear’s HALEU transportation systems.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of backbone
Noun
  • The film centers on Leo and Anne, whose relationship becomes caught in a cycle of attraction and separation as the boundaries between intimacy and dependence, care and control and presence and absence steadily begin to collapse.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Maintaining critical propulsion equipment domestically can reduce dependence on overseas industrial capacity when engines require major servicing, potentially improving fleet availability and resilience.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of dependence
Noun
  • Footwear is a key part of the strategy within several pillars outlined by Joseph Alkire, Kontoor’s president and chief financial officer.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Sports remains the third pillar of the country strategy, according to Oishi, who cites Prime Video’s existing rights to MLB, NBA and live boxing coverage in Japan.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pillar

Browse Nearby Words

reliableness
reliance
reliances
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reliance. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on reliance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about reliance

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