anti-incumbent

adjective

an·​ti-in·​cum·​bent ˌan-tē-in-ˈkəm-bənt  ˌan-tī- 

: characterized by or expressing opposition to or disapproval of current political officeholders

Some would argue that 1994 was a mere extension of the anti-incumbent mood in 1992 that toppled President George Bush …

—Donald R. Wolfensberger

Examples of anti-incumbent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

MacDonald says Democratic voters are anti-incumbent, anti-establishment, and anti-Trump. — Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 2 July 2026

Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California San Diego, said that despite voters’ anti-incumbent sentiments, name recognition was still helpful for some of these statewide candidates. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026

But Rice’s challenge — and the push by several congressional candidates to petition their way onto the primary ballot in Connecticut — underscored the frustration and anti-incumbent sentiment happening across the Democratic Party. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2026

Heading into the 2023 election, most commentators predicted that the Sánchez government would succumb to the anti-incumbent fervor sweeping Europe and that Vox would enter government for the first time. — Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for anti-incumbent

• superincumbent
• decumbent
• incumbent
• procumbent
• recumbent