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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supplicant

2 of 2

noun

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

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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
For the first time in years, Xi appeared to have successfully positioned the United States as supplicant in the bilateral relationship. Matt Pottinger, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2024 Speakers seemed alternately angry and supplicant, aware, at some level, their efforts probably won’t work. Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 July 2021
Noun
Even Putin, not known for sparing the blushes of supplicants, seems embarrassed on Erdogan’s behalf. Bobby Ghosh, Time, 22 Dec. 2025 Finally, Berkshire will always be managed in a manner that will make its existence an asset to the United States and eschew activities that would lead it to become a supplicant. Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for supplicant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supplicant
Adjective
  • The Sagrada Família was founded as an expiatory church, meaning that it would be financed by prayerful donations from people atoning for their sins.
    D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Pärt’s formulas, born out of long, prayerful periods with sacred texts, offer beauty in the warmth and friction of relationships: melody and tintinnabuli, word and the limits of language, sounds and silence.
    Jeffers Engelhardt, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
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
  • Like other Te Deums, the work is both laudatory and suppliant, petitioning the divine for continued mercy.
    Hannah Edgar, chicagotribune.com, 21 Aug. 2021
Noun
  • Antinous later shocked the other suitors by insulting and assaulting with a footstool an elderly beggar who had spoken to him in the palace hall.
    Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Mar. 2026
  • So disguised as a beggar, Odysseus shows up at his palace, and he is not treated very nicely by the suitors who have camped out in his house.
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • According to Quakertown solicitor Peter Nelson, McElree, who also serves as Borough Manager, is currently on workers' compensation leave.
    Kerri Corrado, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Fox News Digital has reached out to the coroner’s office, South Carolina Highway Patrol, and the solicitor’s office for comment.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The petitioners filed as an exhibit an email obtained through a public records request that was sent by Burke’s former spokesman Matt McGrath to other county officials in August of last year.
    Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The law, which takes effect July 1, will require courts to keep records of petitions for a legal name change from public view if the petitioner is younger than 18 at the time of filing.
    Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In Lexington, a school employee was caught discussing whether production costs could be inflated in hopes that a requester would give up.
    Paul Diego Craney, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Under the bill, police would only release footage if the requester shows up in person with a notarized statement.
    AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 13 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Supplicant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supplicant. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

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