Meaning & use
interconnectedness
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Meaning
noununcountable
The condition of being closely linked, so that each part affects the others.
Grammar: Usually followed by of or between: the interconnectedness of nations.
Patterns
- interconnectedness of something
- interconnectedness between things
The pandemic showed the interconnectedness of the global economy.
Ecologists stress the interconnectedness of all living things.
The class explored the interconnectedness between climate and farming.
Common combinations
- global interconnectedness
- Global interconnectedness means a crisis in one region spreads quickly.
- interconnectedness of life
- The film celebrates the interconnectedness of life.
- interconnectedness of systems
- Engineers worry about the interconnectedness of power systems.
- growing interconnectedness
- Growing interconnectedness has changed trade.
- recognize the interconnectedness
- Good leaders recognize the interconnectedness of their teams.
Synonyms and how they differ
- interdependence
- Interdependence stresses relying on one another, while interconnectedness stresses being linked.
- connectivity
- Connectivity usually concerns technical links like networks.
- interrelation
- Interrelation describes the relationship between things, but interconnectedness suggests an overall web.
Opposites
Word family
- interconnect verb
- to link together
- interconnected adjective
- linked with each other
- interconnection noun
- a link between things
- connect verb
- to join
Commonly confused: interconnectedness or interconnection?
interconnectedness vs interconnection
An interconnection is a single link, while interconnectedness is the general state of being linked.
Practice
The lecture on the ___ of ecosystems showed how losing one species affects many others.
Choose one answer.
Interconnectedness means mutual linkage, which explains why one loss affects many. Independence and isolation mean the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “interconnectedness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.