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independent
7 dictionary results for: Independent
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
in·de·pend·ent       [in-di-pen-duhnt] Pronunciation Key
–adjective
1.not influenced or controlled by others in matters of opinion, conduct, etc.; thinking or acting for oneself: an independent thinker.
2.not subject to another's authority or jurisdiction; autonomous; free: an independent businessman.
3.not influenced by the thought or action of others: independent research.
4.not dependent; not depending or contingent upon something else for existence, operation, etc.
5.not relying on another or others for aid or support.
6.rejecting others' aid or support; refusing to be under obligation to others.
7.possessing a competency: to be financially independent.
8.sufficient to support a person without his having to work: an independent income.
9.executed or originating outside a given unit, agency, business, etc.; external: an independent inquiry.
10.working for oneself or for a small, privately owned business.
11.expressive of a spirit of independence; self-confident; unconstrained: a free and independent citizen.
12.free from party commitments in voting: the independent voter.
13.Mathematics. (of a quantity or function) not depending upon another for its value.
14.Grammar. capable of standing syntactically as a complete sentence: an independent clause. Compare dependent (def. 4), main1 (def. 4).
15.Logic.
a.(of a set of propositions) having no one proposition deducible from the others.
b.(of a proposition) belonging to such a set.
16.Statistics. statistically independent.
17.(initial capital letter) Ecclesiastical. of or pertaining to the Independents.
–noun
18.an independent person or thing.
19.a small, privately owned business: The conglomerates are buying up the independents.
20.Politics. a person who votes for candidates, measures, etc., in accordance with his or her own judgment and without regard to the endorsement of, or the positions taken by, any party.
21.(initial capital letter) Ecclesiastical. an adherent of Independency.
22.British. a Congregationalist.
—Idiom
23.independent of, irrespective of; regardless of: Independent of monetary considerations, it was a promising position.
[Origin: 1605–15; in-3 + dependent]

—Related forms
in·de·pend·ent·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
in·de·pen·dent       (ĭn'dĭ-pěn'dənt)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.  
  1. Not governed by a foreign power; self-governing.
  2. Free from the influence, guidance, or control of another or others; self-reliant: an independent mind.
  3. Not determined or influenced by someone or something else; not contingent: a decision independent of the outcome of the study.
  4. often Independent Affiliated with or loyal to no one political party or organization.
  5. Not dependent on or affiliated with a larger or controlling entity: an independent food store; an independent film.
    1. Not relying on others for support, care, or funds; self-supporting.
    2. Providing or being sufficient income to enable one to live without working: a person of independent means.
    3. Not dependent on other variables.
    4. Of or relating to a system of equations no one of which can be derived from another equation in the system.
  7. Mathematics
    1. Not dependent on other variables.
    2. Of or relating to a system of equations no one of which can be derived from another equation in the system.
  8. Independent Of or relating to the 17th-century English Independents.

n.  
  1. often Independent One that is independent, especially a voter, officeholder, or political candidate who is not committed to a political party.
  2. Independent A member of a movement in England in the 17th century advocating the political and religious independence of individual congregations.
  3. Independent Chiefly British A Congregationalist.

in'de·pen'dent·ly adv.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
independent 
1611, from in- "not" + dependent (q.v.). Fr. independant is attested from c.1600; It. independente from 1598. Meaning "person not acting as part of a political party" is from 1808. U.S. Independence Day (July 4) first recorded under that name in 1791.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
independent

adjective
1. free from external control and constraint; "an independent mind"; "a series of independent judgments"; "fiercely independent individualism" [ant: dependent] 
2. (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces; "an autonomous judiciary"; "a sovereign state" [syn: autonomous] 
3. (of a clause) capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence; "the main (or independent) clause in a complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb" [ant: dependent] 
4. not controlled by a party or interest group 

noun
1. a neutral or uncommitted person (especially in politics) [syn: mugwump] 
2. a writer or artist who sells services to different employers without a long-term contract with any of them [syn: freelancer] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: in·de·pen·dent
Function: adjective
1 : not dependent on others (as parents) for livelihood; especially : not a dependent independent on her financial aid form>
2 a : not affiliated with another usually larger unit independent adjuster> b : not contingent on something else independent promise> —in·de·pen·dence noun —in·de·pen·dent·ly adverb

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Independent

In`de*pend"ent\, a. [Pref. in- not + dependent: cf. F. ind['e]pendant.]

1. Not dependent; free; not subject to control by others; not relying on others; not subordinate; as, few men are wholly independent.

A dry, but independent crust. --Cowper.

2. Affording a comfortable livelihood; as, an independent property.

3. Not subject to bias or influence; not obsequious; self-directing; as, a man of an independent mind.

4. Expressing or indicating the feeling of independence; free; easy; bold; unconstrained; as, an independent air or manner.

5. Separate from; exclusive; irrespective.

That obligation in general, under which we conceive ourselves bound to obey a law, independent of those resources which the law provides for its own enforcement. --R. P. Ward.

6. (Eccl.) Belonging or pertaining to, or holding to the doctrines or methods of, the Independents.

7. (Math.) Not dependent upon another quantity in respect to value or rate of variation; -- said of quantities or functions.

8. (U. S. Politics) Not bound by party; exercising a free choice in voting with either or any party.

Independent company (Mil.), one not incorporated in any regiment.

Independent seconds watch, a stop watch having a second hand driven by a separate set of wheels, springs, etc., for timing to a fraction of a second.

Independent variable. (Math.) See Dependent variable, under Dependent.

Syn: Free; uncontrolled; separate; uncoerced; self-reliant; bold; unconstrained; unrestricted.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Independent

In`de*pend"ent\, n. 1. (Eccl.) One who believes that an organized Christian church is complete in itself, competent to self-government, and independent of all ecclesiastical authority.

Note: In England the name is often applied (commonly in the pl.) to the Congregationalists.

2. (Politics) One who does not acknowledge an obligation to support a party's candidate under all circumstances; one who exercises liberty in voting.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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