litigant
Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Usage
What does litigant mean? A litigant is a person engaged in a lawsuit. To litigate is to engage in a legal proceeding, such as a lawsuit. It can mean to bring a lawsuit or to contest one. The word especially refers to what lawyers do in such a proceeding. In fact, another name for a lawyer is litigator, especially a lawyer who specializes in civil cases. Less commonly, litigator can also be used as a synonym for litigant. The process of engaging in a legal proceeding is called litigation. To be in litigation typically means to be engaged in a civil legal proceeding (as opposed to a criminal one, in which one is said to be on trial). Litigant can also be used as an adjective to describe someone engaged in litigation, but this is much less common than its use as a noun. Example: The litigants have agreed to avoid further litigation and settle out of court.
Etymology
Origin of litigant
1630–40; < Latin lītigant- (stem of lītigāns, present participle of lītigāre to go to law), equivalent to līt- (stem of līs ) a lawsuit + -ig- (combining form of agere to carry on) + -ant- -ant
Explanation
A litigant is someone involved in a lawsuit. The person who sues and the person who gets sued are both litigants. To litigate is to use the legal system, and to be litigious is to be prone to filing lawsuits. Litigant refers to someone who is part of a lawsuit. If you sue a doctor, you’re a litigant, as is the doctor. If your landlord sues you, you’re both litigants. A company can be a litigant too. Litigants require lawyers. In fact, without litigants, lawyers would have nothing to do. Lucky for them, there are many litigants in the world.
Vocabulary lists containing litigant
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Recent analysis by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory showed that in 80% of cases at least one parent is a litigant in person.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
Article III of the Constitution “guarantees every litigant . . . the right to an independent and impartial tribunal,” the AGs write.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026
What if the judiciary treated the federal government itself as a vexatious litigant?
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2025
The courts’ primary remedy in such instances is to find the defiant litigant in contempt of court.
From Slate • Feb. 13, 2025
But what most surprised Mr. Bumpkin, and drew tears from Mrs. Bumpkin’s eyes, was when the successful litigant enquired how the bull was.
From The Humourous Story of Farmer Bumpkin's Lawsuit by Harris, Richard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
