complainant
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of complainant
1375–1425; late Middle English < Anglo-French compleignant (present participle of compleindre ). See complain, -ant
Explanation
In law, the person who accuses someone else of wrongdoing is sometimes called the complainant. You are the complainant if you sue your neighbor for building a chicken coop on your property. Although there are some technical differences in the way legal experts use the terms, a complainant is essentially the same as a plaintiff. They're both ways to refer to an accuser, or someone bringing an official grievance against someone else. Since the 15th century, complainant has been used to mean "one who makes a formal complaint in court, " from complain.
Vocabulary lists containing complainant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Holder said he "didn't think to ask" the complainant whether it was okay to get in her taxi and go back to her flat, "but it was not about a lack of respect".
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
In all of the documents Mr. Clark pored over, however, he didn’t find a single female complainant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
On 25 November, Mr Vickers went to her home address and advised her husband that he would issue a community resolution, an informal agreement between a complainant and an alleged offender.
From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026
A spokesman for Lambeth Palace said Church authorities had written to the complainant - known as N - to outline the next steps.
From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025
Not only did it usually fill space and send the complainant away happy, it made us look honest.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
