# reliant

/ɹiˈɫaɪənt/ (US) · /ɹɪlˈaɪənt/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/reliant
Updated: 2026-05-06

## Definition

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

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

## Examples

- The company is very reliant on its main investor.
- Many small businesses became heavily reliant on government grants during the economic downturn.
- The region's economy remains dangerously reliant on a single export, making it vulnerable to sudden shifts in global market prices and trade policies.

## Pitfalls

- Not "reliant of" but "reliant on" — Learners often use 'of' by analogy with 'independent of', but 'reliant' always requires 'on' or 'upon'.

## Usage notes

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

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.