INDEPENDENCE Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

independence

noun

ˌin-də-ˈpen-dən(t)s

Definition of independence

as in autonomy

the ability to care for one's self children are supposed to achieve some measure of independence by the time they are 18—so it's time for that 30-year-old to move out!

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sovereignty

the state of being free from the control or power of another college freshmen often revel in their newfound independence

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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 independence In some cases, independence simply makes those problems easier for investors to see. — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Tradition—and respect for judicial independence—had prevented it. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 But they’ve never been litigated — and the developments are already stoking fears of diminishing Fed independence as the central bank weighs whether to raise interest rates at its next meeting. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 10 Aug. 2026 State and county heat plans flag cardiac and respiratory patients, but not the people whose independence depends on managing pain. — Feinuo Sun, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for independence

Recent Examples of Synonyms for independence

Noun

The mission-management and autonomy components communicated through OMS and UCI rather than through custom point-to-point interfaces.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
Here's where autonomy stops being binary and starts being a loop.

— John Werner, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of autonomy

Noun

The pace is being driven by vast government demand, data sovereignty legislation that is keeping caches in-country, and hyperscalers increasingly looking to lease data center space rather than build in new markets.

— Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
In 2016, Brexiteers imagined that other European countries would follow their example and cheerily recover absolute sovereignty as liberated nation-states.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of sovereignty

Noun

But the Cochin Jewish community's complex history includes both religious freedom and internal divisions over class and colorism.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Even veterans given considerable resources and artistic freedom for a live-action feature may find their specific sensibilities are just better suited to animation.

— Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of freedom

Noun

Yet the careful reader will appreciate the significance of the Puritan Cromwell’s independency.

— Barton Swaim, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2021
His seemingly daily attacks on freedom of speech, the independency of the judiciary, the right to vote and other pillars of our constitutional system are bolstered by an intensely loyal fan base.

— Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2020

Definition of independency

Noun

That gap highlights why China’s semiconductor self-sufficiency drive involves more than producing domestic chips.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026
Farther down the same rice belt, Indonesia's agriculture ministry counts more than 30,000 hectares of rice hit by drought, over 12,000 of them a total loss, in a country that recently halted rice imports in the name of self-sufficiency.

— Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of self-sufficiency

Noun

These positive economic conditions make this visit even more timely, given the nation’s need for capital to continue its own self-reliance and economic growth.

— Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Yet a rupture with the United States, doomed to a long night of Trumpism, seems unlikely, to say nothing of a future of European self-reliance.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Definition of self-reliance

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indentures

independence

independences

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“Independence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/independence. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of independence

noun

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