independent

independent — 形容詞

1. able to form your own opinions and take your own actions without being told what

1.形容詞B1
釋義

自主的

不受他人或外力影響的

able to form your own opinions and take your own actions without being told what to do by others or affected by outside forces.

例句

The committee members reached an independent conclusion that differed from the manager's view.

委員會成員得出與經理看法不同的獨立結論。

independent conclusion: a decision made without outside influence

Jisoo wanted an independent opinion from a doctor who was not connected to the hospital.

Jisoo 想要聽取與該醫院無關的醫師提供的獨立意見。

independent opinion: advice from someone with no bias

同義詞
  • autonomous

    more formal; emphasizes self-governance or self-rule rather than simply being free of influence

  • unbiased

    focuses on fairness and lack of prejudice, especially in judgment contexts

  • neutral

    suggests not taking sides in a dispute rather than freedom from control

反義詞
  • dependent

    the direct opposite — relying on someone or something else for support or control

  • biased

    having a prejudice that influences judgment, the opposite of 'unbiased'

文法句型

independent + noun

independent of + noun

用法筆記

Common in formal and legal contexts. The phrase 'independent of' is typically followed by a noun phrase describing what is not influencing the situation.

常見錯誤

❌The research was independently from the university.
✅The research was independent of the university.
💡'independent of' is the correct preposition pattern, not 'independent from'.

2. describes a politician or candidate who does not officially belong to any politi

2.形容詞B2
釋義

無黨派的

不屬於任何政黨的（政治人物）

describes a politician or candidate who does not officially belong to any political party and decides how to vote on each issue individually.

例句

The small town elected an independent mayor who had never joined any party.

這個小鎮選出了一位從未加入任何政黨的無黨派市長。

Esteban ran as an independent candidate and received support from both sides of the debate.

Esteban 以無黨派候選人的身分參選，並獲得辯論雙方的支持。

independent candidate: a person running for office without party affiliation

同義詞
  • non-partisan

    similar meaning but broader — can describe organizations or media, not just politicians

  • unaffiliated

    general term for not being connected to a group; less specific to politics

反義詞

文法句型

independent + politician/candidate/MP

用法筆記

Frequently used before nouns like 'politician', 'candidate', 'MP', 'senator', or 'member'. Can also appear as 'an independent' (noun).

常見錯誤

❌She is a independence politician.
✅She is an independent politician.
💡'independent' is the adjective form; 'independence' is a noun.

3. describes a country or region that has its own government and is not ruled or co

3.形容詞B2
釋義

自治的

擁有自己政府、不受他國統治的

describes a country or region that has its own government and is not ruled or controlled by another nation.

例句

India became an independent nation in 1947 after decades of British rule.

印度在歷經數十年的英國統治後，於 1947 年成為自治國家。

The island declared itself an independent state and wrote its own constitution.

該島嶼宣布自己為自治國家，並制定了憲法。

independent state: a self-governing country

同義詞
  • sovereign

    more formal and legal; emphasizes supreme authority within a territory

  • self-governing

    emphasizes the ability to make one's own political decisions

  • autonomous

    often used for regions within a larger country that have some self-rule

反義詞
  • dependent

    relying on another country for governance or protection

  • colonial

    ruled by a foreign power as a colony

文法句型

independent + nation/country/state

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2 (NO POLITICAL PARTY): this sense applies to countries, regions, and governing bodies, not to individual politicians. 'Independent judiciary' shares this meaning of freedom from external control.

常見錯誤

❌Taiwan is a independence country.
✅Taiwan is an independent country.
💡'independence' is the noun form; use 'independent' as the adjective before a noun.

4. able to take care of yourself, make your own choices, and manage your money or d

4.形容詞B1
釋義

自立的

不需別人幫助或金錢的

able to take care of yourself, make your own choices, and manage your money or daily needs without relying on other people for help or support.

例句

At age eighteen, Indra moved out and became financially independent from her parents.

Indra 在十八歲時搬出家裡，並在經濟上不再依賴父母。

financially independent: able to support yourself with your own money

The school teaches children to be independent by giving them small responsibilities every day.

學校每天給孩子們一些小任務，教他們學會自立。

同義詞
  • self-sufficient

    emphasizes being able to provide for all one's own needs, especially material ones

  • self-reliant

    focuses on trusting one's own abilities rather than depending on others

反義詞
  • dependent

    needing someone else for money, care, or support

  • reliant

    depending on something or someone, usually followed by 'on'

文法句型

be independent

independent + noun (person)

用法筆記

Often modified by adverbs such as 'financially', 'economically', or 'fully'. The opposite 'dependent on' uses the preposition 'on'.

常見錯誤

❌He is independent from his parents.
✅He is independent of his parents.
💡'independent of' is the standard preposition pattern; 'independent from' is much less common and sometimes considered incorrect.

5. describes a business, school, shop, or organization that runs without being owne

5.形容詞B2
釋義

獨立經營的

不屬於大公司或連鎖企業的

describes a business, school, shop, or organization that runs without being owned, funded, or directed by a larger company or other institution.

例句

The street is full of independent bookshops that sell rare and second-hand books.

這條街上到處都是獨立經營的書店，販賣珍本和二手書。

independent bookshop: a store not owned by a large chain

Ziad decided to open an independent coffee shop instead of buying a franchise.

Ziad 決定開一家獨立經營的咖啡店，而不是加盟連鎖品牌。

同義詞
  • private

    focuses on ownership by individuals rather than the state; not identical — a private school could be part of a chain

  • freelance

    used for people who work for themselves rather than for a company, not for organizations

反義詞
  • chain

    describes a group of stores owned by one company

  • corporate

    owned or operated by a large corporation

文法句型

independent + business/school/shop/store

用法筆記

Common collocations include 'independent bookstore/cafe/shop', 'independent school', 'independent label/studio/producer'. In the UK, 'independent school' is the term for private schools that are not state-funded.

常見錯誤

❌She works for a independent film company.
✅She works for an independent film company.
💡'independent' starts with a vowel sound, so it takes 'an', not 'a'.

6. describes a clause within a sentence that can form a complete sentence on its ow

6.形容詞C1
釋義

獨立的

文法上可單獨成句的子句

describes a clause within a sentence that can form a complete sentence on its own because it contains a subject and a verb and expresses a full idea.

例句

In the sentence "I stayed home because I was ill," the first part is an independent clause.

在「我待在家裡因為我病了」這句話中，前半部是一個獨立子句。

A compound sentence joins two independent clauses with a word like 'and' or 'but'.

並列句使用「and」或「but」等詞連接兩個獨立子句。

two independent clauses joined by a conjunction

同義詞
  • main clause

    the more common term in traditional grammar teaching; identical meaning

反義詞
  • dependent clause

    a clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence; also called a subordinate clause

文法句型

independent clause

用法筆記

Only used in grammar and linguistics contexts. The opposite term is 'dependent clause' (also called 'subordinate clause'), which cannot form a sentence by itself.

常見錯誤

❌A dependent clause can stand alone.
✅An independent clause can stand alone.
💡'Dependent' and 'independent' clauses are opposites; learners often mix them up.

independent — 名詞