English Reference
Adjective

reliant

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ɹiˈɫaɪənt/ UK /ɹɪlˈaɪənt/ re·liant

adj.needing someone or something else to help you or to work correctly. You use this when you cannot succeed or survive alone.

adj.needing a particular person or thing for support, survival, or successful operation. Often used predicatively after a linking verb.


SIMPLE

The company is very reliant on its main investor.

CONTEXTUAL

Many small businesses became heavily reliant on government grants during the economic downturn.

COMPLEX

The region's economy remains dangerously reliant on a single export, making it vulnerable to sudden shifts in global market prices and trade policies.

Usage

Typically takes the preposition 'on' or 'upon'.

Pitfall
reliant ofreliant on

Learners often use 'of' by analogy with 'independent of', but 'reliant' always requires 'on' or 'upon'.

It’s here to stay, and I want my students to understand the stakes of becoming too reliant on this technology.

The Conversation· 21 Aug 2026

But the law change has riled some business groups, and officials in Morocco, where the call centre sector is heavily reliant on the French market.

BBC News· 11 Aug 2026

From rely + -ant.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated