as in independence
the ability to care for one's self
encouraged her children to develop self-dependence at a relatively early age a level of self-dependence rarely seen in teens
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Recent Examples of self-dependence
As Locke put it in his essay, this was a period of renewal, of self-respect, and of self-dependence among Black people.
—
Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Feb. 2024
Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-dependence
Noun
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As this brief survey suggests, the patriots’ success in drawing foreign partners into the war was essential to achieving American independence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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The forest for the trees Nestled between China, India and Thailand, Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948 but came under military dictatorship in 1962.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Across the eight-episode first season, the Crutchfields navigate living under one roof while trying to maintain their own autonomy.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
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The plea—legally impossible but symbolically potent—highlights the limits of judicial authority over prison placements, the strain of the mental health crises inside the federal system, and the uneasy intersection between acts of political violence and debates about personal autonomy at life’s end.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-dependence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-dependence. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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