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

Vetting each applicant personally seems to please Smith.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Then Homer fired off the two-part question that no other job applicant had gotten right:

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

During the meeting, Elizabeth Peterson-Gower, a land use consultant representing the owner and applicant Dome Center LLC, was asked if there was a timeline for reopening the theaters.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

That “heroic theory of invention,” as it is termed, is encouraged by patent law, because an applicant for a patent must prove the novelty of the invention submitted.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• aspirant
• candidate
• claimant
• seeker