1
as in anchor
something or someone to which one looks for support
he's been the family's foremost reliance in times of trouble many times
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in dependency
the quality or state of needing something or someone
a baby's reliance on her parents his reliance on his next-door neighbor for all the local gossip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reliance
This saves lives while also decreasing reliance on emergency medical services.
—
Ben Cocchiaro, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2025
But that reliance on subsidies makes the law harder to scale up—subsidies cannot simply be made 20 times larger to address the full social costs of carbon, most recently estimated by the Biden administration at about $200 per ton.
—Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025
By focusing on long-term customer relationships, brands can reduce the reliance on constant customer acquisition efforts and allocate more resources toward innovation and product development, ultimately driving sustainable growth.
—Joshua Adragna, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
Another reader asked me to have the chatbots look into the energy usage of generative AI, taking into account scenarios ranging from rapid decarbonization to a continued heavy reliance on fossil fuels.
—Ina Fried, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for reliance 
Ben Cocchiaro, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2025
But that reliance on subsidies makes the law harder to scale up—subsidies cannot simply be made 20 times larger to address the full social costs of carbon, most recently estimated by the Biden administration at about $200 per ton.
—Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025
By focusing on long-term customer relationships, brands can reduce the reliance on constant customer acquisition efforts and allocate more resources toward innovation and product development, ultimately driving sustainable growth.
—Joshua Adragna, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
Another reader asked me to have the chatbots look into the energy usage of generative AI, taking into account scenarios ranging from rapid decarbonization to a continued heavy reliance on fossil fuels.
—Ina Fried, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for reliance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reliance
Noun
-
The Crossroads, with its First Friday celebrations and numerous food and beverage options, seemed like the perfect place to drop anchor.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Major Garrett will become the full-time anchor of America Decides on the CBS News 24/7 streaming network, while continuing as CBS News chief Washington correspondent.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In interviews, several recognized the need to streamline its bureaucracy, and even questioned an aid system that relies so heavily on American contractors and fosters a damaging culture of dependency among African governments.—
Declan Walsh,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
-
But the deeper transformation of supply chains that policymakers envisioned — rebuilding domestic manufacturing capacity and reducing dependencies on China — remains largely unrealized.—
Jackie Snow,
Quartz,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
And with President Donald Trump's tariff threats highlighting the risk of that dependence, the success of the $24 billion Trans Mountain expansion is stoking Canada's desire to further decouple from its unpredictable neighbor -- and play a larger role in global oil markets.—
Robert Tuttle Bloomberg News (WPNS),
arkansasonline.com,
9 Feb. 2025
-
Both Trump’s executive order and Burgum’s secretarial order state the need for affordable and reliable energy for economic growth, decreased dependence on other countries, and more.—
Eve Chen,
USA TODAY,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
On the other side of the screen, Ukrainians die, lose territory, see apartment blocks reduced to rubble, consider desertion, and watch the backbone of their western support dissolve.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN,
15 Feb. 2025
-
The Peychaud’s Bitters, all cherry and anise as opposed to Angostura Bitters’ cinnamon and clove, combines with the herbal pop of absinthe and the spicy backbone of the rye to create something wholly new.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Foundational pillars of our culture and our history came through so much sacrifice and so much collective experience.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2025
-
The team behind new research on the topic suggests that measuring whether gravitational waves from black hole mergers are right- or left-handed can tell us if the Cosmological Principle — an absolute pillar of astronomy — holds true.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Bookshop landed at just the right time to provide something of a crutch for struggling bookstores and offer an alternative to funneling more money into Amazon’s maw.—
Boone Ashworth,
WIRED,
28 Jan. 2025
-
Methamphetamine was found hidden inside crutches at Portsmouth International Airport in New Hampshire.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near reliance
Cite this Entry
“Reliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reliance. Accessed 24 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share