incumbent 1 of 2

noun

Definition of incumbentnext
as in officeholder

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incumbent

2 of 2

adjective

in-ˈkəm-bənt How to pronounce incumbent (audio)
as in compulsory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law it is incumbent upon you to attend every staff meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incumbent
Noun
Earlier this summer, Jackson, a fifty-eight-year-old former logger and president of Maine’s state Senate, replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic Senate nominee running against Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent. — Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026 In recent years, he's taken some heat for not living in the district and missing a vote on flight safety, but is not widely viewed as a vulnerable incumbent in this year's election cycle. — Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 10 Sep. 2026
Adjective
During a recent television debate, incumbent state governor Sven Schulze was asked whether Siegmund is a right-wing extremist. — Geir Moulson, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026 Europe’s incumbent launch providers, Arianespace and Avio, have relied upon billions of euros in funding from European governments to get their rockets off the ground. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incumbent
  1. officeholder
  2. compulsory
  3. required
  4. mandatory
  5. necessary
Noun
  • Bass had also left the deputy mayor of public safety position vacant after the former officeholder fabricated a bomb threat against City Hall.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • But Wong said ministers and other political officeholders will not immediately move to the new salary benchmark.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of officeholder
Adjective
  • So, as a very conscious decision for the Remake series, they’ve been made compulsory parts of the team, and they’ve really been fleshed out more and given the background and the deeper dive into them as characters.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
  • In the Soviet Union, basic military training was compulsory in schools including gas mask drills, march practice, and rifle assembly.
    — Bloomberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of compulsory
Adjective
  • The format and required staffing are expensive, and its host is expensive.
    — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Standards for a required world history course also mention 9/11.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of required
Adjective
  • Just weeks before Florida’s order, Flock announced mandatory changes that will soon take effect to address privacy and misuse concerns, including an audit tool to flag abnormal search behavior, the Associated Press reported.
    — Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers must decouple search-data integration from my formatting engine so that retrieving web information does not automatically trigger a mandatory text truncation.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of mandatory
Adjective
  • Hong Kong and central Chinese authorities say the laws were necessary to restore stability in the city after months of anti-government protests in 2019 that sometimes turned violent.
    — Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Had either or both left, then perhaps the Woltemade to Juventus deal would not have been necessary to secure Fernandez-Pardo.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of necessary

Browse Nearby Words

incumbency
incumbent
incumbents
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Cite this Entry

“Incumbent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incumbent. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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