recipient

American  

[ri-sip-ee-uhnt] / rɪˈsɪp i ənt /

noun

• recipients
  plural

1. a person or thing that receives; receiver.

   the recipient of a prize.

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adjective

1. receiving or capable of receiving.

recipient British  

/ rɪˈsɪpɪənt /

noun

1. a person who or thing that receives

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adjective

1. a less common word for receptive

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrecipient
  adjective
• unrecipient
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• recipients
  plural

Etymology

Origin of recipient

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin recipient-, stem of recipiēns “receiving,” present participle of recipere “to receive”; see receive

Explanation

A recipient is the person on the receiving end of something. Meryl Streep is the recipient of more Academy Award nominations than any other actor. Just as an actor can be the recipient of a prize for acting, a banker can be the recipient of a bonus for good banking. You'll notice the connection between recipient and receive. In order to be a recipient you have to receive something, whether it's a prize or just a letter in the mail. If it's true that it's better to give than to receive, does that mean it's better to be a giver than a recipient?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

recipient recipients

Justice in Aging, a national advocacy group, suggests that Medicaid estate recovery disproportionately harms low-income families because the home is often the primary asset left behind by a Medicaid recipient.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

It can attach to the first molecule it encounters, even if that molecule would not normally be the preferred electron recipient based on its ability to stabilize the added electron.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

Still, the Brewers or Rays almost certainly could have landed Skubal, the two-time reigning AL Cy Young recipient and an impending free agent this winter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

You are not a spectator to American democracy, and you are not a passive recipient of American constitutional meaning.

From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026

The new philosophers regarded matter as the passive recipient of a divine shaping and denied the existence of Aristotelian forms.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

She described the incident as particularly serious because recipients were identifiable as people connected to a highly sensitive criminal investigation.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Pay raise: Social Security recipients will get more money next year.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Between September 2025 and June, 246 scholarship recipients from Gaza were flown to Italy and San Marino in a series of evacuations through Italy's "IUPALS" program for Palestinian students, according to the foreign ministry.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Grant recipients must ensure mental-health consultations are available at least once a month and ensure “collaborative relationships and partnerships with community organizations” that administer welfare programs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

With each copy, he wrote a personal letter, geared to the recipient and to the fears Charles had about the recipients reaction.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• beneficiary