dependently

Dependently is an adverb meaning in a manner that depends on something else; it describes actions, states, or relationships that are contingent on other factors. As the adverbial form of dependent, dependently is used when the emphasis is on the dependency itself rather than on a direct action.

In everyday English, speakers usually express contingency with "depend on" rather than "dependently on." Dependently appears more often in formal, technical, or analytical writing to signal a structured or conditional relationship, for example: "the outcome is dependently determined by the initial conditions" or "the variables are dependently linked." When the emphasis is on a process or state that arises from dependence, dependently is a natural choice; for straightforward cause-and-effect statements, "depends on" is typically preferred.

Etymology: dependently is derived from the adjective dependent with the suffix -ly; the form is attested from the 16th century.

Related terms include dependent, dependence, dependency, and independence. In discussions across disciplines such as logic, mathematics, linguistics, or statistics, other expressions like contingently may be used to convey a similar sense of conditionality or linkage. Dependently remains a relatively specialized adverb, most often encountered in more formal or precise writing rather than in casual speech.