reliance

/rɪˈlaɪɪnts/

/rɪˈlaɪəns/

Other forms: reliances

The word reliance is the noun form of the verb rely, which means to depend. Your reliance on the Internet for your information will be your undoing, if the power ever goes out.

A person's reliance on something is their dependence on it. A mime's reliance on silence is the key to his performance: if he speaks, he'll be ruined. Your reliance on the kindness of strangers makes sense when you consider that you'll never run out of strangers upon whom to rely. Too bad you can't just lean on the folks that you know.

Definitions of reliance

1. noun

   the state of relying on something
   type of:

   dependance, dependence, dependency

   the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else
2. noun

   certainty based on past experience
   “he wrote the paper with considerable reliance on the work of other scientists”

   synonyms: trust

   type of:

   certainty

   the state of being sure about something