a neutral or uncommitted person (especially in politics)
"After years of supporting every major candidate, she finally declared herself an independent voter who refuses to align with any party."
a writer or artist who sells services to different employers without a long-term contract with any of them
"After leaving her stable position at the local paper, Maya became an independent journalist by pitching stories and selling articles to various online publications."
A candidate or voter not affiliated with any political party, a freethinker, free of a party platform.
"After researching all the major platforms, she decided to vote for an independent candidate who truly represented her community's needs without being bound by party loyalty."
In plain English: An independent person is someone who can make their own choices and take care of themselves without needing help from others.
"The independent made a quick decision without asking for permission first."
Usage: Use "an independent" to describe a voter or candidate who does not belong to a specific political party and votes based on personal judgment rather than party loyalty. This noun specifically refers to someone acting outside the influence of an organized political platform.
free from external control and constraint
"an independent mind"
"a series of independent judgments"
"fiercely independent individualism"
(of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces
"an autonomous judiciary"
"a sovereign state"
(of a clause) capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence
"the main (or independent) clause in a complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb"
not controlled by a party or interest group
"The newly formed news outlet operates independently, refusing to accept funding from any political campaign or corporate donor."
Not dependent; not contingent or depending on something else; free.
"After graduating and moving to a new city, she finally felt truly independent for the first time in her life."
In plain English: Independent means being able to do things on your own without needing help from others.
"She is independent enough to manage her own finances without help from her parents."
Usage: Use independent to describe someone who manages their own affairs without relying on others for support or guidance. It applies equally to organizations that operate autonomously and are not controlled by a parent company or external authority.
The word independent comes from the French indépendant, which combines the negative prefix in- with dependant to mean not relying on others. It entered English with this same sense of self-reliance or freedom from external control.