INDEX:
independent person
1. able to make your own decisions or do things by yourself
2. not needing money, food etc from other people
3. to live in an independent way
4. by yourself without help or advice
5. to be independent in the way you think
6. when you are independent
independent country or organization
7. not controlled by or depending on another country or organization
8. to no longer be controlled by another country
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ ALONE
↑ NEED/NECESSARY
◆◆◆
1. able to make your own decisions or do things by yourself
▷ independent /ˌɪndɪˈpendənt◂, ˌɪndəˈpendənt◂/ [adjective]
able to make your own decisions, organize your own life, and do things in your own way, without wanting help or advice from other people :
▪ I quite like living alone. It’s made me more independent.
▪ I’ve always been attracted to strong, independent women.
▪ Joe’s still not very independent, and he tends to follow me around.
independent of somebody
not dependent on them
▪ I suddenly realised that my precious son was a full-grown man, quite independent of his father and me.
▷ self-reliant /ˌself rɪˈlaɪənt◂/ [adjective]
able to do things for yourself and solve problems by yourself, and able to live without depending on anyone else :
▪ My parents raised me to be self-reliant, and not to depend on anyone.
▷ self-sufficient /ˌself səˈfɪʃ ə nt◂/ [adjective]
able to live happily on your own, without needing a lot of friends or spending a lot of time with other people :
▪ We grew up in a close-knit, self-sufficient family with few outside friends.
▪ His father died when he was seven, and consequently Joe learned to be self-sufficient from an early age.
2. not needing money, food etc from other people
▷ independent /ˌɪndɪˈpendənt◂, ˌɪndəˈpendənt◂/ [adjective]
having your own money and not needing financial help from other people :
▪ My mom was in fact quite independent. She had always had a job and her own bank account.
▪ Changes in the rural economy turned many independent farmers to hired labourers.
financially independent
▪ Dad left me all his money when he died, which made me financially independent.
▷ self-sufficient /ˌself səˈfɪʃ ə nt◂/ [adjective]
producing all the food and goods that you need, and not having to buy it from other people :
▪ The Amish belong to a self-sufficient community that has existed for over 200 years.
self-sufficient in
▪ Britain used to be fully self-sufficient in coal.
3. to live in an independent way
▷ be independent/lead an independent life /biː ˌɪndə̇ˈpendənt, liːd ən ˌɪndə̇pendənt ˈlaɪf/ [verb phrase]
to live in an independent way, without other people helping you or telling you what to do :
▪ Alice was glad to be independent and making a life of her own at last.
▪ What strategies does a growing child use to become independent?
▪ Our main objective is to help disabled people lead independent lives within the community.
▷ take care of yourself also look after yourself /teɪk ˌkeər əv jɔːʳˈself, lʊk ˌɑːftəʳ jɔːʳˈselfǁ-ˌæf-/ [verb phrase] especially British
to cook your own food, wash your own clothes, and do other basic things that are necessary to live :
▪ Grandpa can’t take care of himself any more so he’s coming to live with us.
▪ Many youngsters who’ve been brought up in care are often incapable of looking after themselves when they leave.
▷ stand on your own two feet /ˌstænd ɒn jɔːr ˌəʊn tuː ˈfiːt/ [verb phrase] informal
to live your life independently without any help from your family or the government :
▪ She’ll never learn to stand on her own feet if you keep giving her whatever she wants.
▪ A year abroad gives students the chance to stand on their own two feet.
▷ go it alone /ˌgəʊ ɪt əˈləʊn/ [verb phrase] informal
to start working or living on your own, especially after working or living with other people in a family, organization etc :
▪ The response to our proposal was lukewarm, so we felt we had to go it alone.
▪ After years of working for a big company, she decided to go it alone and set up her own business.
▪ When it comes to parenthood, more and more women are deciding to go it alone.
▷ do your own thing /ˌduː jɔːr əʊn ˈθɪŋ/ [verb phrase] spoken
to live in an independent way and do what you want to do, without being influenced by what other people think :
▪ He has a couple of roommates but they kind of all do their own thing.
▪ He’s given up his job and is living in northern California, just doing his own thing.
▷ fend for yourself /ˌfend fəʳ jɔːʳˈself/ [verb phrase] written
to look after yourself, when you are used to being taken care of by someone else, or when being independent is very difficult :
▪ The mother died before the cubs were old enough to fend for themselves.
▪ Dad always wanted me to be able to fend for myself from a very early age.
▪ The children were left to fend for themselves on the streets.
4. by yourself without help or advice
▷ on your own/by yourself /ɒn jɔːr ˈəʊn, baɪ jɔːʳˈself/ [adverb]
▪ Bringing up a child on your own is hard work.
▪ We can’t have Jamie walk to school by himself.
▪ You’re not walking home at night on your own.
▪ I didn’t want to make a decision about it by myself, so I called Judy.
all on your own/all by yourself
use this to emphasize that someone does something on their own
▪ He went to China all on his own.
▪ Did you do that all by yourself then?
▷ independently /ˌɪndɪˈpendəntli, ˌɪndəˈpendəntli/ [adverb]
if you work or make decisions independently, you do not need help and advice from other people :
▪ With a few exceptions, the students work well independently.
▪ Margaret wanted to live independently, but would she ever manage it?
▪ Once my child is writing independently, how can I help her become a more skillful speller?
▷ on your own initiative /ɒn jɔːr ˌəʊn ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/ [adverb]
using your own ideas about what needs to be done, instead of waiting for someone in authority to tell you what to do :
▪ She was always happy to work on her own initiative, and set her own goals and deadlines.
▪ When he was only fourteen, he wrote, on his own initiative, to every airline, asking to join the company.
▪ We think the bomb was placed by an extremist, acting on his own initiative.
▷ under your own steam /ˌʌndəʳ jɔːr ˌəʊn ˈstiːm/ [adverb]
if you go somewhere under your own steam, you go there without help from anyone else :
▪ Can you manage to get up to the house under your own steam while I bring up the food?
▪ I never thought Sal and Thomas would make it here under their own steam!
5. to be independent in the way you think
▷ think for yourself /ˌθɪŋk fəʳ jɔːʳˈself/ [verb phrase usually in infinitive or progressive]
to make decisions or form opinions without expecting other people to help or approve of you :
▪ Parents should encourage their children to think for themselves.
▪ The purpose of this question is to force students to think for themselves.
▪ ‘You’re going to have to start thinking for yourself,’ said David sternly.
▷ have a mind of your own /hæv ə ˌmaɪnd əv jɔːr ˈəʊn/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to have a strong character and strong opinions that are not influenced by other people’s :
▪ She’s a woman with a mind of her own, who says what she thinks.
▪ But Mansell has a mind of his own, and he was adamant he would make racing his career.
▷ know your own mind /ˌnəʊ jɔːr əʊn ˈmaɪnd/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to have a strong character and be confident about what you want to do :
▪ Though not yet 15, Sara knows her own mind, and has already decided on a career.
▪ I’m in my mid-thirties and ought to know my own mind by now, but I’m scared of getting married.
▷ be your own man/woman /biː jɔːr ˌəʊn ˈmæn, ˈwʊmən/ [verb phrase]
to be confident of your opinions, without letting other people influence you - use this when you approve of someone like this :
▪ Stan was intellectual, confident and above all, his own man.
▪ She didn’t want to quarrel with him, but made it plain that she was her own woman now, with her own life to lead.
▪ Sheila is very much her own woman. She’ll listen to everyone and then make up her mind for herself.
6. when you are independent
▷ independence /ˌɪndɪˈpendəns, ˌɪndəˈpendəns/ [uncountable noun]
▪ He was desperate to get a job and regain his independence.
▪ Roz said she’d never marry because she valued her independence too much.
▪ Though they want to exert their independence, these kids are not quite ready for it.
▪ Your first pay cheque gives you a terrific sense of independence.
gain/win/achieve etc independence
▪ She no longer had that feeling of independence she had fought so hard to win.
financial/economic independence
▪ She worked hard to gain financial independence.
▷ self-sufficiency /ˌself səˈfɪʃ ə nsi/ [uncountable noun]
when you are independent, either because you can live happily without needing a lot of friends, or because you do not need to buy food or other products from other places :
▪ I admired his air of self-sufficiency.
▪ He promised to do more to help welfare recipients achieve self-sufficiency.
▪ The Administration of Native Americans (ANA) promotes the goal of social and economic self-sufficiency for Indian tribes.
▷ self-reliance /ˌself rɪˈlaɪəns/ [uncountable noun]
when you are independent, because you can solve your own problems and are able to do things by yourself, and do not need the help or support of anyone else :
▪ The older children are beginning to develop self-reliance.
▪ Both men display the fiery self-reliance that natives of Oregon tend to possess.
7. not controlled by or depending on another country or organization
▷ independent /ˌɪndɪˈpendənt◂, ˌɪndəˈpendənt◂/ [adjective]
▪ We must encourage independent governments, not economic satellites.
independent from
▪ The country became independent from France in 1964.
▪ The country has three major network television stations, plus one independent station.
independently [adverb]
▪ an independently run newspaper
▷ independence /ˌɪndɪˈpendəns, ˌɪndəˈpendəns/ [uncountable noun]
political freedom from control by the government of another country :
▪ the American war of independence
▪ the Vietnamese struggle for independence
▪ There is a move to increase the independence of the judiciary.
independence from
▪ Gradually schools gained a certain amount of independence from the Church.
grant independence (to somebody)
▪ The British granted independence to Ceylon in 1948.
▷ sovereign /ˈsɒvrɪn, ˈsɒvrənǁˈsɑːv-/ [adjective only before noun]
not controlled by any other country - used especially in an official or political contexts :
▪ It was a number of years before Canada was accepted by the world as a sovereign state.
▪ The Hopi tribe asserted their rights as a sovereign nation.
sovereign rights/power/status
▪ We fully recognize France’s sovereign power in that area.
sovereignty [uncountable noun]
▪ Britain was concerned that its sovereignty and cultural identity would be harmed by the treaty.
▷ autonomous /ɔːˈtɒnəməsǁɔːˈtɑː-/ [adjective]
part of a country or organization that is autonomous is partly independent and has the right to organize most of its own activities, business etc :
▪ Andorra is autonomous, with its external affairs managed by both France and Spain.
▪ The councils, which are locally autonomous, act as courts for the whole area.
autonomously [adverb]
▪ Local radio stations are supported by national radio, but operate autonomously.
autonomy [uncountable noun]
▪ There is a lot of popular support for some form of autonomy in the Basque area of France and Spain.
▷ self-governing /self ˈgʌvəʳnɪŋ/ [adjective]
a part of a country or organization that is self-governing is controlled by the people who live or work there, as opposed to the larger country or organization that it belongs to :
▪ The farmers are members of a small self-governing co-operative group.
▪ The Orthodox Church is composed of 23 self-governing churches.
▪ Many of the larger communities felt they would be better off if they were self-governing.
▷ self-sufficient /ˌself səˈfɪʃ ə nt/ [adjective]
a country or part of a country that is self-sufficient produces all the food and other products that it needs :
▪ The new technologies have made India agriculturally self-sufficient.
▪ Many areas of the world still have self-sufficient rural economies.
self-sufficient in
▪ France was self-sufficient in cereals, and exported its surplus.
8. to no longer be controlled by another country
▷ become independent /bɪˌkʌm ɪndə̇ˈpendənt/ [verb phrase]
▪ The Republic of Namibia became independent on 21 March 1990, ending 74 years of South African rule.
become independent from
▪ The Solomon Islands became independent from Britain about 15 years ago.
▷ gain/win/get independence /ˌgeɪn, ˌwɪn, ˌget ɪndə̇ˈpendəns/ [verb phrase]
to become independent after a war or a long struggle :
▪ Political unity was the surest way to achieve independence.
gain/win/get independence from
▪ Since gaining independence from Britain in 1961, Sierra Leone has been attempting to unify and modernize the country.