Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person who relies on another person for support (especially financial support): A "dependant" is someone, such as a child or a spouse, who depends on another person for their basic needs, like housing, food, and money.

2. Adjective:

   • Addicted to a drug: This is a less common, formal, or technical usage meaning reliant on a substance.
   • Contingent on something else: This meaning is now almost exclusively spelled "dependent." It describes something determined or influenced by another factor.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Employees can add their spouse and dependants to the health insurance plan.
  • The tax form asks how many dependants you have.

• Adjective (Addicted):

  • The patient became dependant on the pain medication. (Note: "dependent" is the more common spelling for this meaning.)

• Adjective (Contingent):

  • The success of the project is dependant on securing funding. (Note: "dependent" is the far more common spelling for this meaning.)

Advanced Usage

• Legal/Formal Context: The noun form "dependant" is frequently used in official documents, tax forms, and legal contexts to refer to a qualifying family member.
  • The court ordered him to pay child support for his dependants.

Variants and Related Words

• Dependent (Adjective/ Noun): This is the standard and more common spelling in modern English for all meanings. "Dependant" as a noun is an accepted variant, primarily in British English.
• Dependence (Noun): The state of being reliant on something or someone.
  • The country aims to reduce its dependence on foreign oil.
• Dependency (Noun): A country or territory controlled by another; or a state of reliance.
  • The island was once a dependency of the larger empire.

Synonyms

• Noun: Charge, ward, minor, relative, beneficiary.
• Adjective (Contingent): Conditional, subject to, determined by, reliant on.

Related Phrases

• To be a dependant on someone: To be financially supported by someone.
  • She is still a dependant on her parents' tax return.
• Dependant upon/on: This phrase uses the adjective form (usually spelled "dependent") to show conditionality.
  • Our plans are dependant upon the weather. (Note: "dependent on" is standard.)

Notes on Spelling

• In contemporary English, "dependent" is the predominant spelling for both the adjective and the noun, especially in American English.
• The spelling "dependant" is primarily used as a noun and is more common in British English. It is considered a correct variant, but "dependent" is universally understood and often preferred.

Adjective

1. addicted to a drug
2. contingent on something else

Noun

1. a person who relies on another person for support (especially financial support)