as in officeholder
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Dissimilar Words
as in compulsory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
it is incumbent upon you to attend every staff meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incumbent
Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Jan. 2026
As an incumbent, Bass will always have the advantage of her City Hall bully pulpit, said Fernando Guerra, political science professor at Loyola Marymount University.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
The incumbent senator is running for reelection but faces a pair of high-profile primary challengers.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Noun
Cincinnati City Council Member Meeka Owens is considering a run against incumbent Hamilton County Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas in a Democratic primary, according to Democratic Party Chair Alex Linser.
—Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Jan. 2026
As an incumbent, Bass will always have the advantage of her City Hall bully pulpit, said Fernando Guerra, political science professor at Loyola Marymount University.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Beyond Allen’s centuries-old examples, the inflation of the last five years has coincided with the electoral ouster of incumbent governments, of all ideologies, across the world.
—Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
The incumbent senator is running for reelection but faces a pair of high-profile primary challengers.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incumbent
Noun
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In filings, candidates do not have to distinguish between campaign expenditures and officeholder expenditures.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
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In the aftermath of Pretti’s death, which has prompted even some Republican officeholders to call for an investigation, state officials have accused the federal government of blocking access to the scene of the shooting.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In 2014, Alinejad founded the My Stealthy Freedom/White Wednesday campaign against compulsory hijab, which is the largest civil disobedience campaign in the history of the Islamic Republic.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Most courses lasted four to six years, with compulsory Russian language instruction for the first two, and a significant amount of Marxist dialectics throughout.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The Bulletin has made thoughtful decisions each year on how to get people’s attention about existential threats and the required action, Eryn MacDonald, senior analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security Program, told CNN in 2022.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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Failure to respond within the required timeframe may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner, in Sponsor’s sole discretion.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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During a federal government shuts down, beneficiaries of Social Security can expect their payments on time because those payments are considered mandatory spending, including Medicare and Medicaid.—
Mike Snider,
Freep.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Is calling mandatory or optional?—
Cori Sears,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Still, the goal is to make necessary changes before hardship.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
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On the company’s earnings call, analysts asked CEO Tim Cook several questions about Apple’s access to memory components, which have seen their prices skyrocket due to demand related to chips necessary for artificial intelligence data centers.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incumbent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incumbent. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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