applicant

noun

ap·​pli·​cant ˈa-pli-kənt 

: one who applies

a job applicant

Synonyms

• applier
• aspirant
• campaigner
• candidate
• contender
• expectant
• hopeful
• prospect
• seeker

Examples of applicant in a Sentence

We interviewed 30 qualified applicants for the job.

have numerous applicants for the job

Recent Examples on the Web

This lender will consider applicants with fair credit, typically defined as a FICO credit score between 580 and 669. —Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2024

The alternative is ever-shortening presidential tenures and ever-diminishing pools of qualified applicants for these important roles. —David Rosowsky, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024

To attract more wealthy migrants, Lee revised a scheme that awards residency to applicants who invest a minimum of 30 million Hong Kong dollars ($3.9 million) in certain types of assets. —Ani Freedman, Fortune Asia, 16 Oct. 2024

And when the hiring committee comes together to assess a group of applicants, Google Gemini is deployed to collect all relevant internal feedback on the individuals. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

applicate "to apply, put to use" (borrowed from Latin applicātus, past participle of applicāre "to bring into contact [with], situate near, bring to bear [on]") + -ant entry 1 — more at apply

First Known Use

circa 1742, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

applicant

noun

ap·​pli·​cant ˈap-li-kənt 

: one who applies for something

an applicant for work