complainant
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
When Lorraine asked for the DPS to investigate the actions of officers, she discovered she had been labelled internally as a "fixated complainant".
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
One of the main recommendations in Gillen's review was for the use of video-recorded interviews between the police and complainant.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
The pastor said he could not remember clearly whether or not the complainant named her alleged abuser during their conversation in the 1990s, but that it became "obvious" to him.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
The jury also heard details of some communication between Complainant B and Sir Jeffrey many years after the alleged abuse, in which the complainant was seeking his help on work and travel-related matters.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
“No,” he said, “we have attempted to interview the so-called complainant and he denies that he was ever assaulted.”
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
