constituent

American  

[kuhn-stich-oo-uhnt] / kənˈstɪtʃ u ənt /

adjective

1. serving to compose or make up a thing; component.

   the constituent parts of a motor.

2. having power to frame or alter a political constitution or fundamental law, as distinguished from lawmaking power.

   a constituent assembly.

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noun

1. an element, material, etc. that is part of something else; component.

2. a person who authorizes another to act on their behalf, such as a voter in a district represented by an elected official.

3. Grammar. an element considered as part of a construction.

constituent British  

/ kənˈstɪtjʊənt /

adjective

1. forming part of a whole; component

2. having the power to frame a constitution or to constitute a government (esp in the phrases constituent assembly, constituent power )

3. rare electing or having the power to elect

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noun

1. a component part; ingredient

2. a resident of a constituency, esp one entitled to vote

3. law a person who appoints another to act for him, as by power of attorney

4. linguistics a word, phrase, or clause forming a part of a larger construction Compare immediate constituent ultimate constituent

Related Words

See element.

Other Word Forms

• constituently adverb
• nonconstituent adjective
• preconstituent noun

Etymology

Origin of constituent

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin constituent- (stem of constituēns, present participle of constituere “to set up, found, constitute),” equivalent to con- con- + -stitu- (combining form of statuere “to set up”) + -ent- -ent

Example Sentences

DHS was and is less than the sum of its constituent parts.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

The German DAX slipped 0.15% as the index’s second largest constituent, Siemens, nudged down 0.3% after falling 6.4% Monday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

An elected official who prioritizes actual constituent needs over personal ambition, media attention, or higher political aspirations represents a more valuable outcome than a charismatic outsider with limited governing experience.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2026

Earlier this month, she told a constituent who had asked why she only communicated in English that "almost every elector speaks English".

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

The picture is fundamentally like a newspaper wirephoto, made of perhaps a million individual dots, each a different shade of gray, so fine and close together that at a distance the constituent dots are invisible.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan