PLAINTIFF Synonyms: 11 Similar and Opposite Words

plaintiff

noun

ˈplān-təf

Definition of plaintiff

as in complainant

the person in a legal proceeding who makes a charge of wrongdoing against another the judge ruled that the plaintiff's lawsuit was groundless, and he dismissed it

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of plaintiff Consumers paid price of Trump tariffs A similar lawsuit was filed in May against Sony by plaintiffs who bought PlayStation consoles. — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026 The 12 plaintiff states suing to block the merger under the Clayton Act similarly claimed that combining Paramount and WBD would harm competition in Hollywood. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 20 July 2026 The other anonymous plaintiff in the suit graduated in the spring. — Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 18 July 2026 The plaintiff alleged Mills failed to sign at least one of the qualification documents, which was notarized in the District of Columbia instead of Florida. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for plaintiff

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintiff

Noun

Requiring complainants to have personal knowledge helps ensure that legitimate cases are stronger and more credible.

— Eric "Doc" Stelnicki, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
The complainant’s allegations led the Ministry of Culture to file a complaint with the courts in mid-February.

— News Desk, Artforum, 2 July 2026

Definition of complainant

Noun

The family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the most outspoken Epstein accuser before her 2025 death, also attended.

— Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Trump has strongly denied the allegations, which have not been corroborated, and the release of the potential notes comes after other documents related to that accuser were also previously not made public.

— Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of accuser

Noun

If the appeals court affirms the conviction, the handbook says the appellant can then petition the United States Supreme Court for a certiorari review.

— Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Previously, when a Planning Commission decision was appealed, the City Council could only consider the issues raised by the appellant.

— Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026

Definition of appellant

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“Plaintiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintiff. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of plaintiff

noun

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