applicant

[ap-li-kuhnt]

noun

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

   an applicant for a position.

applicant

/ ˈæplɪkənt /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of applicant¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of applicant¹

C15: from Latin applicāns, from applicāre to _apply

Example Sentences

Figures on the backlog of people waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application include both applicants and dependants.

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Those applicants weren’t screened as strictly as usual because they were likely to be existing customers and would be informally vetted by branch staff, according to people familiar with the matter.

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They also talked of a "crippling bureaucracy" which required some organisations to employ consultants with form-filling, and according to another independent report, contributed to mental health issues for almost all of the applicants.

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Elite schools like Harvard, Columbia, Emory and Wellesley have added essay questions in the last couple of years asking applicants to recount a dispute with someone whose beliefs differ from their own.

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But getting into college is in fact becoming easier, with admissions offices trying to entice more applicants from a declining pool of 18-year-olds.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aspirant 
• candidate 
• claimant 
• seeker