proponent

noun

pro·​po·​nent prə-ˈpō-nənt 

ˈprō-ˌpō-

: one who argues in favor of something : advocate

Did you know?

Proponent comes from the same Latin word as propose, so a proponent is someone who proposes something, or at least supports it by speaking and writing in favor of it. Thus, for example, proponents of casinos argue that they create jobs, whereas proponents of a casino ban—that is, casino opponents—argue that they're corrupting and they take money away from people who can't afford it. As a rule, just about anything important that gets proposed also gets opposed.

Synonyms

• advocate
• supporter
• advocator
• exponent

Examples of proponent in a Sentence

a vocal proponent of the use of electric-powered cars

Recent Examples on the Web

The legendary rapper was quickly cremated, which his mother was a proponent of, but Knight stated that Pac had different plans for his funeral. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 1 July 2025

Much like Gen Z, who are proponents of manifesting success, King agrees that there’s power in thinking positively. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 30 June 2025

The office is run by Project 2025 author Russ Vought, a proponent of mass government layoffs, which are a central tenet of Project 2025. —Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025

In fact, the firm was a vocal proponent of the spin in a previous 2019 campaign at L Brands. —Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 21 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin proponent-, proponens, present participle of proponere

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for proponent

• component
• deponent
• exponent
• opponent
• multicomponent
• ponent

Kids Definition

proponent

noun

pro·​po·​nent prə-ˈpō-nənt 

ˈprō-ˌpō-nənt

: one who argues in favor of something

a proponent of recycling

Legal Definition

proponent

noun

pro·​po·​nent prə-ˈpō-nənt 

1

: one who argues in favor of something

2

: one who offers a will for probate