independent

independent — adjective

1. able to form your own opinions and take your own actions without being told what

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

able to form your own opinions and take your own actions without being told what to do by others or affected by outside forces.

Example

The committee members reached an independent conclusion that differed from the manager's view.

independent conclusion: a decision made without outside influence

Jisoo wanted an independent opinion from a doctor who was not connected to the hospital.

independent opinion: advice from someone with no bias

Common collocations
  • independent investigation
  • independent opinion
  • independent advice
  • independent of
Synonyms
  • autonomous

    more formal; emphasizes self-governance or self-rule rather than simply being free of influence

  • unbiased

    focuses on fairness and lack of prejudice, especially in judgment contexts

  • neutral

    suggests not taking sides in a dispute rather than freedom from control

Antonyms
  • dependent

    the direct opposite — relying on someone or something else for support or control

  • biased

    having a prejudice that influences judgment, the opposite of 'unbiased'

Grammar Patterns

independent + noun

independent of + noun

Usage Note

Common in formal and legal contexts. The phrase 'independent of' is typically followed by a noun phrase describing what is not influencing the situation.

Common Mistakes

The research was independently from the university.
The research was independent of the university.
'independent of' is the correct preposition pattern, not 'independent from'.

2. describes a politician or candidate who does not officially belong to any politi

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a politician or candidate who does not officially belong to any political party and decides how to vote on each issue individually.

Example

The small town elected an independent mayor who had never joined any party.

Esteban ran as an independent candidate and received support from both sides of the debate.

independent candidate: a person running for office without party affiliation

Common collocations
  • independent candidate
  • independent politician
  • independent senator
  • independent MP
Synonyms
  • non-partisan

    similar meaning but broader — can describe organizations or media, not just politicians

  • unaffiliated

    general term for not being connected to a group; less specific to politics

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

independent + politician/candidate/MP

Usage Note

Frequently used before nouns like 'politician', 'candidate', 'MP', 'senator', or 'member'. Can also appear as 'an independent' (noun).

Common Mistakes

She is a independence politician.
She is an independent politician.
'independent' is the adjective form; 'independence' is a noun.

3. describes a country or region that has its own government and is not ruled or co

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a country or region that has its own government and is not ruled or controlled by another nation.

Example

India became an independent nation in 1947 after decades of British rule.

The island declared itself an independent state and wrote its own constitution.

independent state: a self-governing country

Common collocations
  • independent nation
  • independent country
  • independent state
  • independent judiciary
Synonyms
  • sovereign

    more formal and legal; emphasizes supreme authority within a territory

  • self-governing

    emphasizes the ability to make one's own political decisions

  • autonomous

    often used for regions within a larger country that have some self-rule

Antonyms
  • dependent

    relying on another country for governance or protection

  • colonial

    ruled by a foreign power as a colony

Grammar Patterns

independent + nation/country/state

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2 (NO POLITICAL PARTY): this sense applies to countries, regions, and governing bodies, not to individual politicians. 'Independent judiciary' shares this meaning of freedom from external control.

Common Mistakes

Taiwan is a independence country.
Taiwan is an independent country.
'independence' is the noun form; use 'independent' as the adjective before a noun.

4. able to take care of yourself, make your own choices, and manage your money or d

4.adjectiveB1
Definition

able to take care of yourself, make your own choices, and manage your money or daily needs without relying on other people for help or support.

Example

At age eighteen, Indra moved out and became financially independent from her parents.

financially independent: able to support yourself with your own money

The school teaches children to be independent by giving them small responsibilities every day.

Common collocations
  • financially independent
  • independent person
  • independent spirit
  • independent of
Synonyms
  • self-sufficient

    emphasizes being able to provide for all one's own needs, especially material ones

  • self-reliant

    focuses on trusting one's own abilities rather than depending on others

Antonyms
  • dependent

    needing someone else for money, care, or support

  • reliant

    depending on something or someone, usually followed by 'on'

Grammar Patterns

be independent

independent + noun (person)

Usage Note

Often modified by adverbs such as 'financially', 'economically', or 'fully'. The opposite 'dependent on' uses the preposition 'on'.

Common Mistakes

He is independent from his parents.
He is independent of his parents.
'independent of' is the standard preposition pattern; 'independent from' is much less common and sometimes considered incorrect.

5. describes a business, school, shop, or organization that runs without being owne

5.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a business, school, shop, or organization that runs without being owned, funded, or directed by a larger company or other institution.

Example

The street is full of independent bookshops that sell rare and second-hand books.

independent bookshop: a store not owned by a large chain

Ziad decided to open an independent coffee shop instead of buying a franchise.

Common collocations
  • independent shop
  • independent business
  • independent school
  • independent record label
Synonyms
  • private

    focuses on ownership by individuals rather than the state; not identical — a private school could be part of a chain

  • freelance

    used for people who work for themselves rather than for a company, not for organizations

Antonyms
  • chain

    describes a group of stores owned by one company

  • corporate

    owned or operated by a large corporation

Grammar Patterns

independent + business/school/shop/store

Usage Note

Common collocations include 'independent bookstore/cafe/shop', 'independent school', 'independent label/studio/producer'. In the UK, 'independent school' is the term for private schools that are not state-funded.

Common Mistakes

She works for a independent film company.
She works for an independent film company.
'independent' starts with a vowel sound, so it takes 'an', not 'a'.

6. describes a clause within a sentence that can form a complete sentence on its ow

6.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes a clause within a sentence that can form a complete sentence on its own because it contains a subject and a verb and expresses a full idea.

Example

In the sentence "I stayed home because I was ill," the first part is an independent clause.

A compound sentence joins two independent clauses with a word like 'and' or 'but'.

two independent clauses joined by a conjunction

Common collocations
  • independent clause
Synonyms
  • main clause

    the more common term in traditional grammar teaching; identical meaning

Antonyms
  • dependent clause

    a clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence; also called a subordinate clause

Grammar Patterns

independent clause

Usage Note

Only used in grammar and linguistics contexts. The opposite term is 'dependent clause' (also called 'subordinate clause'), which cannot form a sentence by itself.

Common Mistakes

A dependent clause can stand alone.
An independent clause can stand alone.
'Dependent' and 'independent' clauses are opposites; learners often mix them up.

independent — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe freedom from outside control or influence, but they differ in context and emphasis. 'Independent' is the broadest term, covering anything from personal decisions to political entities: an independent person makes their own choices. 'Autonomous' is more formal and often refers to regions, organizations, or machines that govern themselves — an autonomous vehicle drives without a human. 'Unbiased' focuses specifically on fairness in judgment: an unbiased journalist reports facts without favoring any side. 'Neutral' means not taking sides in a conflict or debate — a neutral country does not join either side in a war. 'Impartial' is very close to 'unbiased' but is more common in formal settings such as courts: an impartial judge listens to both parties before deciding. In everyday conversation, 'independent' is the most natural choice. Use 'neutral' when describing a country or mediator, 'unbiased' for news or research, and 'impartial' for legal or official decisions.

autonomous ↗unbiased ↗neutral ↗impartial

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • become independent
  • remain independent
  • declare independence
  • work independently

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'independent' comes from the Latin prefix 'in-' meaning 'not' combined with 'dependere', which means 'to hang down from' or 'to rely on'. Literally, it means 'not hanging from something else'. The word entered English through French in the early 1600s. The noun 'dependence' came first (from Latin 'dependentia'), and 'independent' was formed by adding the negative prefix. The political meaning — a nation not ruled by another — became common in the 1700s during the American and French revolutionary periods.