constituent

American  

[kuhn-stich-oo-uhnt] / kənˈstɪtʃ u ənt /

adjective

1. serving to compose or make up a thing; component.

   the constituent parts of a motor.

2. having power to frame or alter a political constitution or fundamental law, as distinguished from lawmaking power.

   a constituent assembly.

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noun

constituents plural

1. an element, material, etc. that is part of something else; component.

2. a person who authorizes another to act on their behalf, such as a voter in a district represented by an elected official.

3. Grammar. an element considered as part of a construction.

constituent British  

/ kənˈstɪtjʊənt /

adjective

1. forming part of a whole; component

2. having the power to frame a constitution or to constitute a government (esp in the phrases constituent assembly, constituent power )

3. rare electing or having the power to elect

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noun

1. a component part; ingredient

2. a resident of a constituency, esp one entitled to vote

3. law a person who appoints another to act for him, as by power of attorney

4. linguistics a word, phrase, or clause forming a part of a larger construction Compare immediate constituent ultimate constituent

Synonym Usage

See element.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preconstituent
  noun
• nonconstituent
  adjective
• constituently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• constituents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of constituent

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin constituent- (stem of constituēns, present participle of constituere “to set up, found, constitute),” equivalent to con- con- + -stitu- (combining form of statuere “to set up”) + -ent- -ent

Explanation

Constituent means "part of a whole." The word comes up often in political contexts: constituents are the people politicians have been elected to represent. Elected officials should stay in touch with the needs of their constituents. To understand constituent, look at constitute, which means "to make up." The words share the Latin root constituentem, meaning "to compose," as in a part that makes up a larger whole. A politician's electorate is made of individual constituent voters. Although it’s often used to refer to voters, you can also say that a car motor, for example, is made of constituent parts. Constituent can be a noun or adjective.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

constituent constituents

Once the predictions were confirmed theoretically, collaborators at Rice University synthesized the materials by chemically combining their constituent elements into new compounds.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

Additionally, Honeywell International HON -2.52%decrease; down pointing triangle , a constituent on the index, is spinning off its aerospace business in a deal that’s expected to be completed June 29.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

“Its larger market capitalization and share price, together with the breadth of its businesses, make it a more representative communication services constituent in the DJIA,” the provider said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

“But she has shown up for those groups and worked hard in that regard on these constituent service issues that have mattered. And that’s real. You can’t take that away from what she’s done.”

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

Several million light-years across, it is composed of some twenty constituent galaxies.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Despite acknowledging subtle differences with Lindsey—“I have my own way of doing things,” she wrote in a note to constituents last week—she has emphasized that they shared the “same values.”

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

“So, yeah, I am concerned about it. We ought to be talking about things looking forward that our constituents are most concerned about.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

He also thanked his constituents who had reached out to offer support.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

That contrasts with the SOX index, where all 30 constituents were lower from the benchmark’s June record high.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026

She was a committed pacifist, but she was receiving pressure from constituents who wanted her to support the president’s call to arms.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling