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
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.
Article III of the Constitution “guarantees every litigant . . . the right to an independent and impartial tribunal,” the AGs write.
The Federal Tort Claims Act requires would-be litigants to file an administrative claim for compensation before going to court.
At 9 a.m. on a workday, this area of the Financial District is positively teeming with potential litigants.
Technology companies are marketing AI to court systems as a timesaver that can help provide better access to justice for litigants.
A more neutral term may be the “emergency docket,” because litigants are seeking the court’s quick intervention in what they describe as extraordinary circumstances.
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.
