interdependent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- interdependence noun
- interdependency noun
- interdependently adverb
- noninterdependent adjective
- noninterdependently adverb
Etymology
Origin of interdependent
Explanation
When objects or people are interdependent, they come to rely on each other for survival. As business becomes more and more international, the world is increasingly interdependent, with countries needing each other's help to survive. Interdependent comes from the Latin word inter meaning "among, between," and dependere which means "to hang from, be dependent on." When two people are interdependent, they have a sense of dependency between them. Married couples are often interdependent. They rely on one another — whether for income or child care or love — to get by.
Vocabulary lists containing interdependent
Life Science: Ecosystems
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Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Introductory
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Ecology - Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The group noted, for instance, that Yale’s mission statement grew in 2016 to include “improving the world today” and fostering “an ethical, interdependent, and diverse community.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
"We see ourselves as a family of autonomous, yet interdependent churches," Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, told the BBC.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
Another limitation is that VBayesMM treats bacteria as independent actors, even though they often interact in complex, interdependent networks.
From Science Daily • Nov. 10, 2025
In a world that is entirely interdependent down to the molecules that make up our bodies, to suggest that any one person can singularly do anything without the support of others is quite a stretch.
From Salon • May 18, 2025
Although we are by all odds the most social of all social animals—more interdependent, more attached to each other, more inseparable in our behavior than bees—we do not often feel our conjoined intelligence.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
