complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt 

1

: the party who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding

2

: one who complains

Synonyms

• plaintiff
• suer

Examples of complainant in a Sentence

the complainant charged that the defendant had broken the ironclad contract that both had signed

Recent Examples on the Web

In the 2024 session, the Legislature passed a major change to Florida’s ethics law (SB 7014), requiring a complainant to have personal knowledge of the facts of a case. —Barbara Sharief, Sun Sentinel, 25 July 2024

In one case, a complainant alleged she was unlawfully stopped by Baltimore Police because there was no stop sign at the intersection for which she’d been given a warning. —Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2024

Maryam Alwan, one of the complainants, told USA TODAY the harassment – both online and in person – has impeded her academic progress. —Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024

Amazon has been a prolific complainant since 2018, filing at least 42 cases over counterfeit products, 38 for reviews fraud, three for copyright abuse, and, recently, two for bogus product returns. —Paresh Dave, WIRED, 15 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt 

1

: one who makes a legal complaint

2

: one who complains

Legal Definition

complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt 

: the party (as a plaintiff or petitioner) who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding