Meaning & use
interdependent
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Depending on each other; each needing the other for support, function, or survival.
Grammar: Usually not compared; say "more interdependent" rather than "interdependanter".
Patterns
- interdependent with something
- mutually interdependent
- interdependent parts/systems
The two departments are interdependent, so a delay in one always affects the other.
In an ecosystem, plants and animals are interdependent and cannot survive alone.
Their economies are deeply interdependent because they trade energy and food with each other.
Common combinations
- mutually interdependent
- The partners are mutually interdependent, sharing both risks and profits.
- interdependent with
- The local bank is interdependent with the farming community it serves.
- interdependent relationship
- They have an interdependent relationship in which both give and receive support.
- increasingly interdependent
- The world is becoming increasingly interdependent through technology and trade.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mutually dependent
- Almost the same, but often used in formal writing to stress that the dependence is equal.
- interconnected
- Means linked or joined together, but does not always suggest that each part needs the other.
Opposites
Word family
- interdependence noun
- The state of depending on each other.
- interdependently adverb
- In a way that involves mutual reliance.
Commonly confused: interdependent or dependent?
interdependent vs dependent
Dependent means one person or thing relies on another; interdependent means the reliance goes both ways.
Practice
In a healthy team, members are ______: each person's work affects the others.
Choose one answer.
"Interdependent" fits because the members rely on each other. "Independent" means they do not rely on each other, "dependable" means reliable, and "dependent" suggests one-way reliance.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “interdependent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.