respondent

1 of 2

noun

re·​spon·​dent ri-ˈspän-dənt 

1

: one who responds: such as

a

: one who maintains a thesis in reply

b(1)

: one who answers in various legal proceedings (as in equity cases)

(2)

: the prevailing party in the lower court

c

: a person who responds to a poll

2

: a reflex that occurs in response to a specific external stimulus compare operant

respondent

2 of 2

adjective

1

: making response : responsive

especially : being a respondent at law

2

: relating to or being behavior or responses to a stimulus that are followed by a reward

respondent conditioning

compare operant sense 3

Examples of respondent in a Sentence

Noun

A majority of respondents said they disagreed with the mayor's plan.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Assessing your score As noted, only 4% of respondents answered each of the five retirement questions correctly. —The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024

Nearly half of the respondents in a CNBC All-America Economic Survey poll taken in March say TikTok should be banned or sold to a non-Chinese company. —Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin respondent-, respondens, present participle of respondēre

First Known Use

Noun

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

respondent

1 of 2 noun

re·​spon·​dent ri-ˈspän-dənt 

: a reflex that occurs in response to a specific external stimulus

the knee jerk is a typical respondent

respondent

2 of 2 adjective

: relating to or being behavior or responses to a stimulus that are followed by a reward

respondent conditioning

compare operant

Legal Definition

respondent

noun

re·​spon·​dent ri-ˈspän-dənt 

: one who answers or defends in various proceedings: as

a

: an answering party in an equitable proceeding

b

: a party against whom a petition (as for a writ of habeas corpus) seeking relief is brought

c

: an answering party in a proceeding in juvenile court or family court

specifically : a party against whom a divorce proceeding is brought

d

: a party prevailing at trial who defends the outcome on appeal : appellee