independence

• independance (obsolete)

From French indépendance. Analyzable as in- +‎ de- +‎ pend +‎ -ence or in- +‎ dependence.

• IPA^(key): /ɪndɪˈpɛndəns/

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• Hyphenation: in‧de‧pend‧ence

independence (countable and uncountable, plural independences)

1. The quality or state of being independent; lack of dependence; the state of not being reliant on, or controlled by, others.

   In 1947, India gained independence from the British Empire.

   • 1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “Relates How Mr. Pickwick, with the Assistance of Samuel Weller, Essayed to Soften the Heart of Mr. Benjamin Allen, and to Mollify the Wrath of Mr. Robert Sawyer”, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC, page 508:

     Bob the aforesaid, and his present chances of deriving a competent independence from the honourable profession to which he had devoted himself.

   • 1851, George Borrow, chapter XXXI, in Lavengro; the Scholar—the Gypsy—the Priest. […], volume II, London: John Murray […], →OCLC, pages 271–272:

     […] I had achieved my own living, preserved my independence, and become indebted to no one.

   • 2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 75:

     And this year, some of the granite facades have a new addition - the blue and yellow of the flag of Ukraine. It's hardly surprising to see the Scots, a nation more attuned to independence than some, showing solidarity with a country brutally invaded by Russia.

2. The state of having sufficient means for a comfortable livelihood.