független

Független is a Hungarian adjective meaning independent, not dependent on or controlled by others, and capable of acting without external influence. It is used to describe people, organizations, or positions that operate without formal ties to political parties, governments, or other controlling bodies, as well as states of autonomy or self-determination.

In common usage, the term appears in political, media, and social contexts. A független jelölt (independent candidate) runs without party affiliation. A független média (independent media) aims to report without government or corporate interference. A független álláspont denotes an opinion formed without external pressure.

In science and research, független is used in contrast to dependent relationships. The független változó (independent variable) is the factor deliberately varied to observe its effect on another variable, the függő változó (dependent variable). The adverb form függetlenül means "independently," as in performing actions without coordination or influence from others.

Etymologically, független belongs to Hungarian vocabulary for autonomy and self-rule, with related terms such as függetlenség (independence) and függőség (dependence). The concept is central across politics, journalism, law, and science, where independence is often linked to integrity, neutrality, and autonomy.

See also: függetlenség, független sajtó, független álláspont, független változó.