supplicant 1 of 2

Definition of supplicantnext
as in prayerful
asking humbly hated having to go before his boss like a supplicant beggar whenever he needed some time off to attend to personal matters

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as in suppliant
one who asks earnestly for a favor or gift the new governor soon had to deal with a long line of supplicants asking for jobs and other political favors

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 supplicant
Adjective
The prayer quickly ends, and another supplicant hands over his passport. Diaa Hadid, NPR, 19 May 2025 Many officers presumed that the only way to advance up the ranks, or avoid a hazing, or even keep their jobs, was to be supplicant to the brass. Marc J. Dunkelman, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
One of its most common tools is to write a book, or have a book written, to introduce the presidential supplicant to voters. Dan Walters, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026 Carney has transformed into a de facto spokesman for those middle powers, none of which want to turn into supplicants or get caught with their pants down between two superpowers, such as the United States and China, that are increasingly using coercion as a method of statecraft. Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for supplicant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supplicant
Adjective
  • Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo performed a prayerful ceremony traditional before a hunt.
    Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2026
  • That’s the prayerful explanation for the nonsense that spouted this week from the leaders of a football conference that hopes to grow up and be the Big Ten someday.
    Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • And as happens with the testimonies of the suppliants at the Asclepieion, the stelae ferry the feelings and names of these distant others across the ages to us.
    Teju Cole, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
  • It was thought that Betelgeuse was bigger than the orbit of Jupiter in our Solar System, but recent studies suggest that the red suppliant star is about a third less than that at about 750 the radius of our Sun.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes, 16 June 2021
Noun
  • Antinous shocked even the other suitors by insulting and assaulting an elderly beggar; when the beggar revealed himself as Odysseus and slew the suitors, Antinous was the first to die.
    Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 July 2026
  • At the train station, a beggar was sleeping soundly on a bench.
    Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
Noun
  • Trained as a solicitor 26 years ago, Amrit has built a parallel practice supporting victims of narcissistic abuse, coercive control and violence against women and young girls.
    Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Cohen asked the deputy city solicitor about use of force cases.
    Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • The petitioner said their Model 3’s electronic door-opening controls failed after the car had a head-on collision and caught fire.
    Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
  • In California, petitioners must be at least 18 years old to file; otherwise, a petition may be filed on their behalf by a parent, near relative, or guardian.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • These fees place autopsy reports out of reach for most requesters, including journalists and researchers like me.
    Jonah Walters, The Conversation, 24 June 2026
  • One of their tactics was to charge record requesters not just for copying costs but for the time workers spent assembling the records.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Supplicant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supplicant. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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