applicant

American  

[ap-li-kuhnt] / ˈæp lɪ kənt /

noun

1. a person who applies for or requests something; a candidate.

   an applicant for a position.

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applicant British  

/ ˈæplɪkənt /

noun

1. a person who applies, as for a job, grant, support, etc; candidate

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Etymology

Origin of applicant

First recorded in 1475–85, applicant is from the Latin word applicant- (stem of applicāns applying, present participle of applicāre ). See apply, -ant

Explanation

An applicant is someone who signs up or applies for something. A job applicant for example, often fills out a form and then interviews for the position she hopes to get. When you submit your college application to a school you'd like to attend, you are an applicant to that school. Other kinds of applicants are job candidates and scholarship hopefuls. To apply is to put in for or request entry to something, and the root of both apply and applicant is the Old French aploiier, "apply, use, or attach," from the Latin applicare, "attach to, join, or connect."

Example Sentences

The result from this example: On average, each majority employee forms five social connections—four with majority applicants and one with a minority applicant.

From Slate • May 22, 2026

Colleges say this reflects a higher-quality applicant pool.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

AfghanEvac and residents at the camp said authorities offer $4,500 per main applicant and $1,200 per dependent to return.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

Home Office decisions to reject an asylum applicant can be challenged, and potentially overturned, in the courts.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

You may well get a gut feeling that the applicant doesn’t really have what it takes, or maybe that he is a bit standoffish, or maybe that he doesn’t really want the job.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• aspirant
• candidate
• claimant
• seeker