RELIED Synonyms: 20 Similar and Opposite Words

relied

verb

past tense of rely

as in depended

to place reliance or trust rigorously tested the rope before starting out, for the rock climbers would be relying on it with their very lives

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 relied He was thrown in the Andrean sectional game in baseball this last season, which is a monumental task, so he’s relied upon in multiple sports. — Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 Solutions to the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) problem have to date relied on new networking protocols built from scratch—only to discover chicken-and-egg problems, thorny standards wars, and real signal congestion challenges at scale. — IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2026 Zach said the team relied on positive encouragement throughout the competition, especially when a teammate was struggling. — Stephanie Ogilvie, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 Neighbors Bank relied on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau and Zillow. — Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Safety remains central Nuclear operators have long relied on simulators to prepare crews for routine operations and unusual plant conditions. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026 Notre Dame understandably relied on the run game last season (Carr ranked 84th in the FBS in pass attempts), but with running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price now in the NFL, more will be on the quarterback’s shoulders in 2026. — Dane Brugler, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 While the South Korean company has access to in-house supply of memory chips, Vivo and many other Chinese firms have relied on chips from MediaTek, SK Hynix and Samsung, said Shah of Counterpoint Research. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026 Once lockdowns began, criminal gangs that had relied on the drug trade saw their supply chains disrupted just as stay-at-home requirements boosted demand for physical goods. — Kiel Porter, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relied

Verb

Much depended on your bravery, skill, road surface, and entry speed.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
Although that surplus depended on the district executing an additional $30 million in budget cuts this fall, officials added.

— Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of depended

Verb

But the votes get counted, the uncertainty clears… and businesses go back to work making money.

— Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Standing along the Iron Horse Trail on a weekday in June, Obolenskiy counted numerous people commuting on e-bikes, possibly to and from work or school.

— Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of counted

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relics

relied

relied (on)

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Style

“Relied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relied. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of relied

verb

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