respondent

1 of 2

noun

re·​spon·​dent ri-ˈspän-dənt 

1

: one who responds: such as

a

: one who maintains a thesis in reply

b(1)

: one who answers in various legal proceedings (as in equity cases)

(2)

: the prevailing party in the lower court

c

: a person who responds to a poll

2

: a reflex that occurs in response to a specific external stimulus compare operant

respondent

2 of 2

adjective

1

: making response : responsive

especially : being a respondent at law

2

: relating to or being behavior or responses to a stimulus that are followed by a reward

respondent conditioning

compare operant sense 3

Examples of respondent in a Sentence

Noun

A majority of respondents said they disagreed with the mayor's plan.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Who thinks democracy is threatened The overwhelming majority of respondents — 76% — said democracy is under serious threat. —Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 1 July 2025

When asked about data security, 86% of respondents were concerned about the possibility of their healthcare data being involved in a data breach. —Brian Foy, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Adjective

The respondent pool was reviewed to ensure U.S. Census targets for gender, age, race, education and home ownership were met. —Hannah Drown, cleveland, 10 Oct. 2022

The legal doctrine of respondent superior states that an employer can be vicariously liable for the improper actions of its employee or agent. —Tom Spiggle, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin respondent-, respondens, present participle of respondēre

First Known Use

Noun

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for respondent

• despondent
• correspondent
• fondant

Medical Definition

respondent

1 of 2 noun

re·​spon·​dent ri-ˈspän-dənt 

: a reflex that occurs in response to a specific external stimulus

the knee jerk is a typical respondent

respondent

2 of 2 adjective

: relating to or being behavior or responses to a stimulus that are followed by a reward

respondent conditioning

compare operant

Legal Definition

respondent

noun

re·​spon·​dent ri-ˈspän-dənt 

: one who answers or defends in various proceedings: as

a

: an answering party in an equitable proceeding

b

: a party against whom a petition (as for a writ of habeas corpus) seeking relief is brought

c

: an answering party in a proceeding in juvenile court or family court

specifically : a party against whom a divorce proceeding is brought

d

: a party prevailing at trial who defends the outcome on appeal : appellee