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as in conditional
determined by something else
our going to the movies tonight is dependent on whether or not we have any money left after we eat out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in parasite
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dependent
Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
The delays keep families dependent on older, more expensive and more polluting energy sources.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 14 Dec. 2025
Under existing law, adults who do not have disabilities or dependents must work, participate in training, or look for work for 80 hours a month to keep their benefits.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dependent
Adjective
Health care should be effective, safe, people-centered, timely, equitable, integrated, efficient as well as affordable — not dependent on employment status or political swings.
—Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
The delays keep families dependent on older, more expensive and more polluting energy sources.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
Noun
Note: If you can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return, your tax filing requirements are different.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 14 Dec. 2025
Under existing law, adults who do not have disabilities or dependents must work, participate in training, or look for work for 80 hours a month to keep their benefits.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dependent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dependent
Adjective
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While the design here is emphatically traditional, a dose of modern whimsy comes through with a dangling, multi-floor chandelier loosely inspired by jellyfish.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Cernan, the junior pilot, was outside, dangling—actually spinning, tumbling, and flailing—at the end of a long umbilical cord, completely unable to control his movements.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Several long-standing vaccines, including flu and meningitis shots, were suddenly shifted into a conditional category.—
Josh M. Shepherd,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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Is my life here, as an American, after all, merely conditional?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When the characters aboard the Enterprise stop feeding the conflict, the parasite starves.—
Joe Palaggi,
Twin Cities,
11 Feb. 2026
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The drug, largely used to treat people or animals for infections caused by parasites, is a popular dewormer for horses.—
Rachana Pradhan,
STAT,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Max Houser 6-Tier Hanging Closet Shelf Instantly create more hanging space with this fabric shelving unit that makes use of otherwise dead vertical space.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Dec. 2025
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Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%. ‘An embrace of brutality’ Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The district and union on Saturday came to a tentative agreement on a sanctuary school policy, mirroring the city’s own, that aims to protect immigrant and refugee students.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Nurses at Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospital systems have reached tentative agreements with management to end a historic strike that began nearly a month ago, the New York State Nurses Association announced Monday.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The team selected specific animal spirits – deer, buffalo, leeches, fleas, ants, and softshell turtles – which Setyanto translated into movement.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
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The leech therapist, whose name was Sandra, made a tsk-tsk sound over the phone.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Try a Melamine Sponge Another popular cleaning tool for baseboards is a melamine sponge.—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
7 Feb. 2026
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An underdog with a bite Faulkner was once a quarterback standing 5-foot-nothing with a 10-cent arm but a million-dollar head with a brain like a sponge.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Campillo objected to that rationale, contending residents of nearby cities shouldn’t be treated the same as tourists or characterized as rich freeloaders for visiting Balboa Park as non-residents of San Diego.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
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Remember how in 2023 when swarms of these surly, entitled freeloaders suddenly materialized – in Terminal E, of all places.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
28 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dependent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dependent. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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