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

ACE awarded £12.23m in funding where an applicant name, project title or category contained the word "comedy" between 2010/11 to 2024/25, according to the government.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

That’s up from the prior fee—$215—for an applicant to enter the H-1B lottery and then fees of around $5,000 to file a visa application.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Those pictures require patience, time, and pain to conjure on the part of the applicant.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

The permit process typically costs hundred of dollars for the applicant.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

No applicant will satisfy requirements, whatever his level of accomplishments otherwise, if seen to fall short in this respect.'

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• aspirant
• candidate
• claimant
• seeker