supplicant

1 of 2

noun

sup·​pli·​cant ˈsə-pli-kənt How to pronounce supplicant (audio)
: one who supplicates

supplicant

2 of 2

adjective

Examples of supplicant in a Sentence

Noun the new governor soon had to deal with a long line of supplicants asking for jobs and other political favors Adjective hated having to go before his boss like a supplicant beggar whenever he needed some time off to attend to personal matters
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.
Noun
The pitches, which last about 45 minutes, are edited to snappy 12- to 15-minute segments with music scored for suspense over tight shots of bug-eyed, sweaty supplicants. Jordyn Holman, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2024 Or, scarier still, from complete GOP control of Washington, with Trump in the White House, his supplicants running Congress and a pliant Supreme Court dismantling any guardrails keeping a vengeance-minded president in check. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024
Adjective
For the first time in years, Xi appeared to have successfully positioned the United States as supplicant in the bilateral relationship. Matt Pottinger, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2024 Speakers seemed alternately angry and supplicant, aware, at some level, their efforts probably won’t work. Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 July 2021 See all Example Sentences for supplicant 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin supplicant-, supplicans "petitioner," noun derivative from Latin supplicant-, supplicans, present participle of supplicāre "to seek the goodwill (of a person wronged) with peace offerings, supplicate"

Adjective

borrowed from Latin supplicant-, supplicans, present participle of supplicāre "to seek the goodwill (of a person wronged) with peace offerings, supplicate"

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1577, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near supplicant

Cite this Entry

“Supplicant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supplicant. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

supplicant

noun
sup·​pli·​cant
ˈsəp-li-kənt
: one who asks earnestly
supplicant adjective
supplicantly adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!