Synonyms of candidates

candidates

noun

plural of candidate

as in applicants

one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award

each candidate for town council was allowed to speak at the candidates' forum

Synonyms & Similar Words

• applicants
• contenders
• hopefuls
• aspirants
• prospects
• campaigners
• competitors
• nominees
• seekers
• contestants
• expectants
• entries
• qualifiers
• entrants
• appliers
• favorites
• claimants
• pretenders
• spoilers
• stalking horses
• running mates
• favorite sons
• crown princes
• dark horses

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• incumbents
• officeholders
• awardees
• inductees
• noncandidates
• honorees
• dropouts

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of candidates

French President Emanuel Macron delivered a briefing to the candidates running to succeed him so disturbing that even the far-right National Rally’s leaders emerged denouncing Russian hybrid attacks. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Descano, a former prosecutor for the Obama administration, took office in Fairfax in 2020 as part of a movement of leftist prosecutor candidates backed by megadonor George Soros. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2026

While Democrats appear to have the upper-hand in many states heading towards November, Republican candidates have fared better in recent polls in those states than other battlegrounds. — Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2026

The deadline for new candidates to run in November has already passed. — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026

Harris' political travel has been light compared to potential presidential candidates like Pete Buttigieg, who ran in 2020 before serving as Biden’s transportation secretary. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

The deadline is the end of the year, which is the end of Guterres' term, and more candidates could still enter the race. — Michele Kelemen, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026

In fact, there are a number of potential candidates already in-house. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026

This strategy also helps employers get to know phenomenal candidates whose applications are going to accidentally be rejected by the ATS and AI systems. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026