interdependence

noun

in·​ter·​de·​pen·​dence ˌin-tər-di-ˈpen-dən(t)s 

variants or interdependency

ˌin-tər-di-ˈpen-dən(t)-sē 

plural interdependences or interdependencies

1

: the state of being dependent upon one another : mutual dependence

interdependence of the two nations' economies

… a form of symbiosis, of close mutual interdependence of two species of organisms.

—Marston Bates

… the deep psychological interdependence between ourselves and those we love.

—Judith A. Savage

… understood the interdependence of mental, physical, and spiritual health.

—Donald N. Levine

But plants happen to grow in these little universes we call ecosystems, where they are sustained by complex webs of interdependency with fungi, microbes, animals, and other plants.

—Kenneth Brower

2

: a mutually dependent relationship

Growing global interdependencies further muddy the debate, making it harder to know who "we" are and what "our" national interests really are.

—Peter H. Schuck

There are complex interdependences among these factors …

—Victor H. Benenberg

Examples of interdependence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This growing economic interdependence gives China considerable leverage over Russia and makes any U.S. attempt to pull Moscow away from Beijing economically unrealistic. —Linggong Kong, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2025

Without the stark ideological divide of the Cold War, many political scientists assumed that world politics would shift toward economic interdependence, demonstrating through action the benefits of working in teams to solve hard problems. —Monica Duffy Toft, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2025

Aligning everyone around a shared purpose, fostering interdependence and maintaining structural clarity requires a more intentional approach when interactions are limited to virtual meetings. —Daria Rudnik, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

Above all, the intensifying of geopolitical competition between China and the United States—the world’s two dominant economic powers—has made economic interdependence more perilous. —Geoffrey Gertz, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for interdependence

• superintendence
• ascendance
• attendance
• dependance
• dependence
• transcendence
• tendance