de·pend·ent / diˈpendənt/ • adj. 1. (dependent on/upon) contingent on or determined by: the various benefits will be dependent on length of service.2. requiring someone or something for financial, emotional, or other support: an economy heavily dependent on oil exports households with dependent children. ∎  unable to do without: people dependent on drugs | [in comb.] welfare-dependent families. ∎  Gram. (of a clause, phrase, or word) subordinate to another clause, phrase, or word.• n. (Brit. also de·pend·ant) a person who relies on another, esp. a family member, for financial support: a single man with no dependents.DERIVATIVES: de·pend·ent·ly adv.

DEPENDENT

A person whose support and maintenance is contingent upon the aid of another. Conditional.

A dependent is someone who is sustained by another person, such as a child supported by his or her parents.

In an insurance policy, the term legal dependent generally includes all of those people whom the insured person is under a legal duty to support, such as a spouse and minor children. A lawful dependent includes someone whom an insured person is permitted, but not required, to support.

That which is dependent is conditional upon the occurrence of another event. A dependent contract is an agreement between two parties that is conditional upon another agreement. For example, one person agrees to deliver goods to another person only after that person contracts to purchase such goods from the first person only for a certain designated period.