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

Because the complaints are still under investigation, the names of complainants were redacted. —Alyssa N. Salcedo, Journal Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2024

Two of the complainants reported injuries and one reported a crash that could have been caused by the problem, Ford said. —CBS News, 25 June 2024

There is no language within the Act that requires the complainant to be from a minority or marginalised race, nor that the defendant comes from a place of racial privilege. —Crystal Andrews, refinery29.com, 7 Mar. 2024

Gilead settled with the complainants in June to the tune of $40 million, without admitting fault. —Samantha Riedel, Them, 26 July 2024

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