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 of complainant

• plaintiff

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

Moore's attorneys contended that Moore has no criminal history and poses no threat to the public or to the complainant. —Josh Margolin, ABC News, 19 Dec. 2025

Ofcom does not have demographic data on complainants because people express their concerns to the media regulator anonymously. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025

The statement said that per the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, the existence and status of the complaints are public, but complainants’ names, the nature of the complaints and other related information are not. —Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 3 Dec. 2025

However, Wahl declined to implement a recommendation allowing complainants to request a different supervisor when filing a complaint. —Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 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