litigator

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tor ˈli-tə-ˌgā-tər 

plural litigators

: one who carries on a legal contest by judicial process : one who litigates legal cases

As a civil-rights litigator, Payton had argued a Richmond, Va., case before the Supreme Court …

—William Greider

For thirty years he had been a ruthless litigator, the meanest, nastiest, and without a doubt one of the most effective courtroom brawlers in Chicago.

—John Grisham

In the 1950's and 60's, he became known as the consummate litigator. Lawyers and judges describe him in the courtroom as wily, charming, eloquent and erudite, with a light but deft touch at cross-examination.

—Jan Hoffman

Examples of litigator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over coffee in Washington recently, Young, who has thick silver hair and steely green eyes, praised the courage of such litigators. — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Alex Spiro joins campaign Toms Capital is joined in its activist campaign by the noted litigator Alex Spiro, known for his successful track record of combat in the courtroom and advisory relationship with Elon Musk and other notable figures. — David Faber, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026

But they have more recently been eclipsed by the data center buildout, said Tyler O’Connor, an energy litigator at Crowell & Moring in Washington, DC. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

The company built a research tool for litigators, giving them access to state trial court records, docket history, filings and the patterns of opposing counsel across cases. — Mehron Sharq, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for litigator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator

Legal Definition

litigator

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tor ˈli-tə-ˌgā-tər 

: one that litigates

especially : a lawyer skilled at litigation