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

One interview memo that did surface shows that one of the other complainants likely committed perjury. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025

After 60 days, if consultations have failed to resolve the dispute, the complainant may request adjudication by a panel, according to the WTO. —Dan Mangan,kevin Breuninger,christina Wilkie,michael Wayland,april Roach,erin Doherty, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025

The complainant was also there with a cousin and a friend. —Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025

Many complainants completely missed what critics said was the point of the show, which was to highlight the struggle of Black artists to achieve proper representation while seeing their art, talent, and culture appropriated by others. —David Gilbert, Wired News, 27 Mar. 2025

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