abhängigen

Abhängigen is the inflected form of the German adjective abhängig, meaning dependent or contingent. It is used to describe something that relies on or is influenced by something else. The form abhängigen appears mainly in plural contexts when the adjective follows a definite article or other determiner, for example: die abhängigen Faktoren, den abhängigen Personen, der abhängigen Situation. In these cases the ending -en signals the weak declension after a determiner.

In everyday language, abhängig describes a state of dependence, for instance a person or a system that cannot function independently. It can refer to financial, social, or functional dependence, as well as to conditions or circumstances that are governed by external factors. The term is neutral and common in technical, academic, and policy discussions.

In social and medical contexts, Abhängige (capitalized as a noun) denotes people who depend on others for support or care. This can include children, pensioners, or individuals who rely on social assistance. In mental health and addiction discourse, Abhängige is used to refer to people who have a dependency on substances or behaviors; contemporary terminology often prefers more specific terms, but Abhängige remains understood in many contexts.

In technology and project management, Abhängigkeiten (dependencies) describe relationships where one component requires another to function. The opposite concept is Unabhängigkeit (independence). In software development, terms like abhängige Module or abhängige Bibliotheken describe components that must be present for a program to run.

See also: Abhängigkeit, Abhängige, Abhängigkeiten, abhängig.