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

Meanwhile, Joseph Elie-Meyers, a former civil rights litigator, has used his legal experience to navigate the regulatory landscape. — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2026

Silverstone’s character, Cher Horowitz, is the daughter of a hard-nosed litigator, much like Kardashian’s late father, the attorney Robert Kardashian. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 29 Oct. 2026

One prominent litigator reportedly declined to take the case, and a source said Evans might donate any proceeds to charity. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026

Earlier in his career, Trutanich was a litigator in private practice and a federal law clerk. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 19 Oct. 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