1. (a.) Hanging down; as, a dependent bough or leaf.
2. (a.) Relying on, or subject to, something else for support; not able to exist, or sustain itself, or to perform anything, without the will, power, or aid of something else; not self-sustaining; contingent or conditioned; subordinate; -- often with on or upon; as, dependent on God; dependent upon friends.
3. (n.) One who depends; one who is sustained by another, or who relies on another for support of favor; a hanger-on; a retainer; as, a numerous train of dependents.
4. (n.) That which depends; corollary; consequence.
Thesaurus Entries
accessory, addicted, addicted to, adherent, ancillary, appendage, appurtenant, at issue, attendant, based on, boxed in, buff, cascading, cavaliere servente, charge, childlike, circumscribed, circumscribed by, client, collateral, conditional, conditioned, confiding, contingent, contingent on, counting, courtier, creature, credulous, dangler, dangling, debased, dependent on, depending, depending on, depending on circumstances, disciple, encumbrance, exposed, falling, falling loosely, fan, feudal, feudatory, flowing, flunky, follower, following, guileless, habituated, habitue, hanger-on, hanging, hedged about by, heeler, henchman, hinging on, homager, homme de cour, hooked, hooked on, humbled, hung, iffy, in a rut, in question, in suspense, in the balance, incident to, incidental to, inferior, innocent, lackey, liable, liege, liege man, limited, man, minion, myrmidon, naive, never free from, open, parasite, partisan, pendent, pending, pendulant, pendular, penduline, pendulous, pensile, pensionary, pensioner, peon, predicated on, protege, provisional, provisory, public, public charge, pursuer, pursuivant, reckoning, relative, reliant, relying, restricted, retainer, revolving on, satellite, secondary, sectary, serf, servant, servile, shadow, slave, spaced out, stooge, sub, subject, subject to, subordinate, subservient, successor, supporter, susceptible, suspended, suspenseful, swinging, tagtail, tail, trainbearer, tributary, trustful, trusting, trusty, turning on, uncertain, uncounted, undecided, under, underling, understrapper, undetermined, unestablished, unfixed, unsettled, unsuspecting, unsuspicious, untold, up for grabs, used to, vassal, votary, ward, ward heeler, weeping, without suspicion, yeoman
