1
as in anchor
something or someone to which one looks for support he's been the family's foremost reliance in times of trouble many times

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in dependency
the quality or state of needing something or someone a baby's reliance on her parents his reliance on his next-door neighbor for all the local gossip

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reliance Or does this shift raise concerns about reliability and over reliance on tech? Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2025 With America at war in Iraq, ethanol’s boosters were touting the mandate as a win-win that would reduce reliance on Middle Eastern oil while propping up demand for Midwestern corn. Michael Grunwald july 21, Literary Hub, 21 July 2025 The Pokémon Company When the trading system launched in Pokémon TCG Pocket earlier this year, feedback from players was very poor, with most frustrated with the system's reliance on trade tokens, which were fairly limited and couldn't be earned through regular gameplay. Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025 Bottom of the list was Alaska, which scored poorly across all categories, and whose economy has been weighed down by its reliance on oil, CNBC said. Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for reliance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reliance
Noun
  • Tie the anchor departures to the fact that some of them were butting heads with their traditional backers or got laid off, and the new recipe comes with a dash of controversy that makes for a natural ingredient in the never-ending race to capture attention.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
  • The stadium would be privately funded by the Fire’s owner, Joe Mansueto, and serve as the anchor tenant of The 78, an empty stretch of riverfront southwest of the Loop where developer Related Midwest has sought for years to plant a brand-new neighborhood.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • In many developer flows, new dependency versions are downloaded and incorporated into the downstream packages automatically.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 25 July 2025
  • Outside help comes as critical co-investment, not handouts creating more dependency.
    Juan Carlos Navarro, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
Noun
  • Frequent use can disrupt normal bowel function and lead to laxative dependence or chronic constipation.7 Only use castor oil under medical guidance.
    Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 11 July 2025
  • The researchers found that AI models consistently produced more biased output toward people with alcohol dependence and schizophrenia compared to depression or control conditions.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • The backbone of the press corps, many of them died and have been overlooked in the retelling of the war.
    Gary Knight, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
  • California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis said immigrants are the backbone of the state's economic workforce.
    Terry Collins, USA Today, 31 July 2025
Noun
  • Hogan, a pillar of the wrestling world for decades, died July 24.
    Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 31 July 2025
  • Similarly, on immigration, a central pillar of Trump's platform, approval dropped from 47 percent to 44 percent, while disapproval remained at 50 percent.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
Noun
  • The idea of crutches on cobblestone streets was comical, ridiculous and potentially dangerous.
    Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
  • In McLeod’s view, the future of AI could streamline the matching element of dating, working as a service rather than a crutch for users.
    Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 24 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reliance. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

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