I'm describing a process (let's call it A) that is both unaffected by, and does not affect another separate process (B).
"Independent" doesn't quite seem to cover it. A is indeed "not dependent" on B, but also does not have an impact on it.
"Process/Object A is [mystery word] of Process/Object B"
Is there a better word than "independent" that would fit the bill? I've tried looking up synonyms, but haven't had much luck
Independent does specifically mean both unaffected by and not having an effect upon the other.
Dependence can be mutual or one way, but independence always works both ways.
Within a larger set of processes, two can be pairwise independent, meaning they don't effect each other but may be affected by other members. Mutual independence extends this idea to all members under consideration.
How about autonomous (from)?
It means that process A is not controlled by an outside force, and autonomous units tend to keep to themselves. (Think about universities and their own little bubble.)
Maybe unrelated? As in "Process A is unrelated to Process B." This could depend on the type of document in which the sentence appears—it's probably most likely to be used in technical documentation. It's important to note, however that it's entirely possible that Process A, while independent of Process B and not affecting it in any way, is in fact related to it—perhaps they share a common starting point. If this is the case, then unrelated is incorrect.
