complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt 

1

: the party who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding

2

: one who complains

Synonyms

• plaintiff
• suer

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

Soon after making the report to police, the complainant received an alert from FedEx explaining that the merchandise would be delivered to and held for pick up at a Walgreens location in neighboring Skokie, according to the release. —Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025

The complainants said the abusive behavior began as soon as Farley, a 26-year veteran of the department whose father and grandfather were deputy chiefs, was appointed the top job. —David Matthews, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025

But dozens of complainants were open in their beliefs that featuring the all-Black ensemble at halftime was racist against white people, in a bizarre twist on the wider culture war over diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI). —David Gilbert, Wired News, 27 Mar. 2025

One interview memo that did surface shows that one of the other complainants likely committed perjury. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt 

1

: one who makes a legal complaint

2

: one who complains

Legal Definition

complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt 

: the party (as a plaintiff or petitioner) who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding