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dependent

Syllabification: (de·pend·ent)
Pronunciation: /diˈpendənt/

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Definition of dependent

adjective

  • 1 [predic.] (dependent on/upon) contingent on or determined by:the various benefits will be dependent on length of service
  • 2requiring someone or something for financial, emotional, or other support:an economy heavily dependent on oil exports households with dependent children
  • unable to do without:people dependent on drugs [in combination]:welfare-dependent families
  • Grammar (of a clause, phrase, or word) subordinate to another clause, phrase, or word.

noun

(British also dependant)
  • a person who relies on another, especially a family member, for financial support:a single man with no dependents

Derivatives

dependently

adverb

Origin:

late Middle English dependant 'hanging down', from Old French, present participle of dependre (see depend). The spelling change in the 16th century was due to association with the Latin participial stem dependent-

Spelling help

Remember that the ending of dependent is spelled -ent.

dependent in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of dependent in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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