1. Free from external control and constraint
   "an independent mind"; "a series of independent judgments"; "fiercely independent individualism" 
2. (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces
   - autonomous, self-governing, sovereign 
3. (of a clause) capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence
   "the independent clause in a complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb"
   - main 
4. Not controlled by a party or interest group

1. A neutral or uncommitted person (especially in politics)
   - mugwump [N. Amer], fencesitter 
2. A writer or artist who sells services to different employers without a long-term contract with any of them
   - freelancer, freelance, free-lance, free lance, self-employed person

Derived forms: independents

See also: autarkic, autarkical, autonomous, breakaway, case-by-case, commutative, fissiparous, free, free-living, independence, independency, independently, indie, individual, item-by-item, nonparasitic, nonpartisan, nonpartizan, nonsymbiotic, self-directed, self-reliant, self-sufficient, self-sufficing, self-supporting, self-sustaining, separate, separatist, single-handed, strong-minded, unaffiliated, unconditional

Type of: individualist, worker

Antonym: dependent

Encyclopedia: Independent Independent, Neutral, Turkmenistan State Anthem Independent, identically distributed

• cheval-de-frise
• chevalier
• Chevalier de Bayard
• Chevalier de Lamarck
• chevaux-de-frise
• chevet
• Cheviot
• Cheviot Hills
• Cheviots
• chevron
• chevrotain
• chevvy
• chevy
• chew
• chew out
• chew over
• chew the fat
• chew up
• Chewa
• chewable
• chewer
• chewing
• chewing gum
• chewing out
• chewink