Meaning & use
interdepend
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Meaning
verbintransitiveformalrare
To rely on each other, so that each of two or more things needs the other.
Grammar: Takes no object and is used with a plural subject: the parts interdepend.
Patterns
- things interdepend
- things interdepend on each other
The members of the team interdepend, so one absence slows everyone.
In a rainforest, plants and animals interdepend in countless ways.
Economies interdepend more than they did a century ago.
Word forms
| third person singular | interdepends |
|---|---|
| past tense | interdepended |
| past participle | interdepended |
| -ing form | interdepending |
Common combinations
- closely interdepend
- The two industries closely interdepend.
- interdepend on each other
- Those systems interdepend on each other for power.
- interdepend economically
- Neighboring nations interdepend economically.
- parts interdepend
- All the parts of the machine interdepend.
Synonyms and how they differ
- depend on each other
- Depend on each other is the plain, everyday phrase and is easier to read than interdepend.
- rely on one another
- Rely on one another stresses trust and need, while interdepend sounds abstract.
- interact
- Interact means to act on each other, which does not necessarily mean each needs the other.
- interlock
- Interlock describes a physical or structural fit and is used for mechanisms more than for relationships.
Opposites
Word family
- interdependent adjective
- relying on each other
- interdependence noun
- the state of relying on each other
- interdependently adverb
- in a mutually reliant way
- depend verb
- to rely on something
Commonly confused: interdepend or interact?
interdepend vs interact
To interact means to affect or communicate with one another, but to interdepend means each needs the other to function.
Practice
In a healthy ecosystem, the plants and the insects ____ because each group needs the other.
Choose one answer.
Interdepend means to rely on each other, which fits the explanation. The other verbs begin similarly but mean something else.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “interdepend”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.