4 definitions found From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]: Independent \In'de*pend"ent\, adjective [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. From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]: Independent \In'de*pend"ent\, noun 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. From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]: independent adjective 1: free from external control and constraint; "an independent mind"; "a series of independent judgments"; "fiercely independent individualism"; "an independent republic" [ant: {dependent}] 2: not dependent on or conditioned by or relative to anything else 3: of political bodies; "an autonomous judiciary"; "a sovereign state" [syn: {autonomous}, {self-governing}, {sovereign}] 4: not contingent 5: of a clause; able to stand alone syntactically as a complete sentence; "the main (or independent) clause in a complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb" [syn: {main(a)}] [ant: {dependent}] 6: not controlled by a party or interest group noun 1: a neutral or uncommitted person (especially in politics) [syn: {mugwump}, {fencesitter}] 2: a writer or artist who sells services to different employers without a long-term contract with any of them [syn: {freelance}, {self-employed person}] From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]: 219 Moby Thesaurus words for "independent": Laodicean, abounding in riches, affluent, alien, anythingarian, apart, apart from, apathetic, arbitrary, aside from, autarchic, autarkic, autonomous, barring, besides, beyond, big-rich, bold, centrist, comfortable, competent, controlled, detached, disconnected, discrete, discretional, discretionary, disgustingly rich, disinterested, disjunct, disrelated, dissociated, distinct, elective, erect, even, except for, excluding, exclusive of, exotic, external, extraneous, fat, fence-sitter, fifty-fifty, firm-minded, flush, foreign, forward, free, free lance, free spirit, free trader, free will, free-spirited, freethinker, freewheeling, frightfully rich, gratuitous, half-and-half, house-proud, ignoring, impartial, importunate, in funds, in the money, incommensurable, incomparable, independently rich, independently wealthy, indifferent, individual, individualist, individualistic, inner-directed, insular, irrelative, irrespective of, isolated, isolationist, latitudinarian, liberal, libertarian, libertine, loaded, loner, luxurious, made of money, maverick, midway, moderate, moneyed, mugwump, mugwumpian, mugwumpish, neuter, neutral, nonaligned, noncommitted, nonconformist, nonmandatory, nonpartisan, nothingarian, notwithstanding, offered, on the fence, oofy, optional, opulent, other, outlandish, outside, passive, prideful, proffered, prosperous, proud, proud as Lucifer, proud-blooded, proud-looking, proud-minded, proud-spirited, proudful, proudhearted, provided for, purse-proud, pushy, removed, rich, rich as Croesus, rolling in money, rugged individualist, segregate, self-acting, self-active, self-asserting, self-assertive, self-assured, self-centered, self-confident, self-contained, self-controlled, self-dependent, self-determined, self-determining, self-directing, self-esteeming, self-expressive, self-governed, self-governing, self-helpful, self-helping, self-improving, self-possessed, self-reliant, self-respecting, self-restrained, self-subsistent, self-sufficient, self-supporting, self-sustained, self-sustaining, separate, separated, sovereign, spontaneous, stiff-necked, strange, strong-minded, strong-willed, swing vote, third force, third world, third-force, third-world, unaffiliated, unallied, unasked, unassociated, unbesought, unbiased, unbidden, uncalled-for, uncoerced, uncommitted, uncommitted voter, uncompelled, unconnected, uncontrolled, undecided, unearned, unfettered, unforced, uninfluenced, uninvited, uninvolved, unlimited, unprejudiced, unpressured, unprompted, unrelatable, unrelated, unrequested, unrequired, unrestrained, unrestricted, unsolicited, unsought, voluntary, volunteer, wallowing in wealth, warm, wealthy, well provided for, well-fixed, well-heeled, well-off, well-to-do, willful

Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM