complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt 

1

: the party who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding

2

: one who complains

Synonyms

• plaintiff
• suer

Examples of complainant in a Sentence

the complainant charged that the defendant had broken the ironclad contract that both had signed

Recent Examples on the Web

In the years that followed there have been a number of civil suits brought by female complainants against Cuomo that have not been resolved. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 June 2025

The complainants allege that ONE violated the Shipping Act of 1984 by contracting a certain amount of cargo space, then informing QVC and Cornerstone that the space was unavailable. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 20 June 2025

The time and place of the racing and the racers’ identities must then be posted on multiple local news websites for victims to contact police to ensure that there are multiple complainants pressing charges. —Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 17 June 2025

The original complainant said the car turned into an AutoZone. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 28 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt 

1

: one who makes a legal complaint

2

: one who complains

Legal Definition

complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt 

: the party (as a plaintiff or petitioner) who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding