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

Generally, chips above certain performance thresholds are restricted, while lower-end mature chips are sold to China routinely and most sales to Russia are prohibited or require a license, which is often denied, said Brian Burke, a litigator and board advisor with expertise in China. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 May 2026

Kessler is as familiar with antitrust arguments against the NCAA as any sports litigator in America. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 May 2026

For litigators, this exhaust is evidentiary gold. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026

Patricia Glaser, the veteran litigator who is often in the thick of so many high-wattage conflicts, was this year’s Power of Law career achievement honoree. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 9 Apr. 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