complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt How to pronounce complainant (audio)
1
: the party who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding
2
: one who complains

Examples of complainant in a Sentence

the complainant charged that the defendant had broken the ironclad contract that both had signed
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
During his 2023 criminal trial, for which he was acquitted, Spacey said three of the complainants in the criminal case had also brought civil claims against him. Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2025 The high school student complainants said in the lawsuit that their families’ First Amendment rights have been violated by the law, which has a much broader definition of obscene material than the one defined by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973. Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 4 Feb. 2025 To me, fairness in Title IX investigations means both the complainant (the person reporting the incident) and the respondent (the person accused) have their voices heard accurately. Beth Worthy, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 The complainant also alleged Hedspeth treated Black employees better than others. Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for complainant

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of complainant was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Complainant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complainant. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

complainant

noun
com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt How to pronounce complainant (audio)
1
: one who makes a legal complaint
2
: one who complains

Legal Definition

complainant

noun
com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt How to pronounce complainant (audio)
: the party (as a plaintiff or petitioner) who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding

More from Merriam-Webster on complainant

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