The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Dependent \De*pend"ent\, n.
   1. One who depends; one who is sustained by another, or who
      relies on another for financial support or favor; a
      hanger-on; a retainer; as, a numerous train of dependents.
      [1913 Webster]

            A host of dependents on the court, suborned to play
            their part as witnesses.              --Hallam.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. That which depends; corollary; consequence.
      [1913 Webster]

            With all its circumstances and dependents. --Prynne.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: See the Note under Dependant.
         [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Dependent \De*pend"ent\, a. [L. dependens, -entis, p. pr.
   dependere. See Depend, and cf. Dependant.]
   1. Hanging down; as, a dependent bough or leaf.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Relying on, or subject to, something else for support; not
      able to exist, or sustain itself, or to perform anything,
      without the will, power, or aid of something else; not
      self-sustaining; subordinate; -- often with on or upon;
      as, dependent on God; dependent upon friends. Opposite of
      independent. [Narrower terms: interdependent,
      mutualist, mutually beneficial; parasitic, parasitical,
      leechlike, bloodsucking; subordinate; underage;
      myrmecophilous; symbiotic] Also See: unfree.
      [1913 Webster]

            England, long dependent and degraded, was again a
            power of the first rank.              --Macaulay.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. conditional; contingent or conditioned. Opposite of
      unconditional.

   Syn: qualified.
        [WordNet 1.5]

   4. addicted to drugs.

   Syn: addicted, dependent, drug-addicted, hooked, strung-out.
        [WordNet 1.5]

   Dependent covenant or Dependent contract (Law), one not
      binding until some connecting stipulation is performed.

   Dependent variable (Math.), a varying quantity whose
      changes are arbitrary, but are regarded as produced by
      changes in another variable, which is called the
      independent variable.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

dependent
    adj 1: relying on or requiring a person or thing for support,
           supply, or what is needed; "dependent children";
           "dependent on moisture" [ant: independent]
    2: contingent on something else [syn: dependent, dependant,
       qualified]
    3: (of a clause) unable to stand alone syntactically as a
       complete sentence; "a subordinate (or dependent) clause
       functions as a noun or adjective or adverb within a sentence"
       [syn: dependent, subordinate] [ant: independent,
       main(a)]
    4: held from above; "a pendant bunch of grapes" [syn: pendent,
       pendant, dependent]
    5: being under the power or sovereignty of another or others;
       "subject peoples"; "a dependent prince" [syn: subject,
       dependent]
    6: addicted to a drug [syn: dependent, dependant, drug-
       addicted, hooked, strung-out]
    n 1: a person who relies on another person for support
         (especially financial support) [syn: dependant,
         dependent]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

161 Moby Thesaurus words for "dependent":
   accessory, addicted, addicted to, adherent, ancillary, appendage,
   appurtenant, at issue, attendant, based on, boxed in, buff,
   cascading, cavaliere servente, charge, childlike, circumscribed,
   circumscribed by, client, collateral, conditional, conditioned,
   confiding, contingent, contingent on, counting, courtier, creature,
   credulous, dangler, dangling, debased, dependent on, depending,
   depending on, depending on circumstances, disciple, encumbrance,
   exposed, falling, falling loosely, fan, feudal, feudatory, flowing,
   flunky, follower, following, guileless, habituated, habitue,
   hanger-on, hanging, hedged about by, heeler, henchman, hinging on,
   homager, homme de cour, hooked, hooked on, humbled, hung, iffy,
   in a rut, in question, in suspense, in the balance, incident to,
   incidental to, inferior, innocent, lackey, liable, liege,
   liege man, limited, man, minion, myrmidon, naive, never free from,
   open, parasite, partisan, pendent, pending, pendulant, pendular,
   penduline, pendulous, pensile, pensionary, pensioner, peon,
   predicated on, protege, provisional, provisory, public,
   public charge, pursuer, pursuivant, reckoning, relative, reliant,
   relying, restricted, retainer, revolving on, satellite, secondary,
   sectary, serf, servant, servile, shadow, slave, spaced out, stooge,
   sub, subject, subject to, subordinate, subservient, successor,
   supporter, susceptible, suspended, suspenseful, swinging, tagtail,
   tail, trainbearer, tributary, trustful, trusting, trusty,
   turning on, uncertain, uncounted, undecided, under, underling,
   understrapper, undetermined, unestablished, unfixed, unsettled,
   unsuspecting, unsuspicious, untold, up for grabs, used to, vassal,
   votary, ward, ward heeler, weeping, without suspicion, yeoman



The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):

DEPENDENT, adj.  Reliant upon another's generosity for the support
which you are not in a position to exact from his fears.