So I've heard that the definition of independent means is income you get from a spouse or investing and not from working. Now I'm not questioning the definition, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Getting income from someone else you've invested in seems more dependent to me, than getting money from working yourself. So basically, I'm asking how did this term originate and what's the meaning behind it?

Where did you hear that definition?

My definition is that a person has enough income to pay rent, all bills, buy groceries, cook for himself, live on his own without depending on someone else to pay and to do whatever.

I think that in the old days, it mostly meant inherited money.
But I agree with Wondergirl. For me, it also means someone who isn't tied down by his or her ways of getting income, and is his or her own boss.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary and a couple of other on-line dictionaries, the definition of "independent means" is income from sources other than employment.

I know it has been used in literature to describe someone who can do what they want because they aren't tied down to a job. However, I haven't been able to find where the phrase originated or its history. Still searching...

I also have to question where you got that definition. My definition is what Cat said. You have income not dependent on wages. In other words you don't have to work for a living.

Income not dependent on wages doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have to work. If you write best sellers, you usually need to churn new ones out once in a while.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ScottGem

I also have to question where you got that definition. My definition is what Cat said. You have income not dependent on wages. In other words you don't have to work for a living.

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Sorry for responding so late. I got it from Dictionary.com and some other sources. If I remember what they were, I'll post another reply