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

While there are only so many cancer patients, all of us are candidates for screening. — H. Gilbert Welch, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026

Republican and Democratic candidates are within a few points of each other in dozens of House and Senate races around the country. — Nathan Gonzales Cq-Roll Call, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Like Beshear, several other 2028 contenders are going on multistate tours to show up for candidates across the country. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026

The next step was finding a director; according to sources, the search was thorough with not only Black Label and Thunder Road producers meeting potential candidates but the lead cast having their own meetings as well. — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026

The outcome could reshape Brazil’s ties with the United States and China, as both candidates try to win over moderates. — Mauricio Savarese, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Obama taped two dozen ads last week for Democratic candidates for governor and Senate that will be released in the coming days and weeks, in addition to more campaign stops soon to be announced. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Together, these four candidates received nearly 8% of the vote. — David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Forty-four prospective candidates have submitted applications to become the next permanent superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, according to the city agency tasked with vetting those bids. — Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 29 Sep. 2026