Meaning & use
complainant
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Meanings
nouncountablelegal
The person who starts a formal complaint or legal action against someone.
Grammar: A countable noun, used in court and official reports: the complainant testified.
Patterns
- the complainant in a case
- a complainant against someone
The complainant told the court that the landlord had ignored her repeated requests.
Police must keep the complainant informed about the investigation.
The tribunal ruled in favor of the complainant.
nouncountableformal
Anyone who officially reports a problem or makes a formal complaint to an organization.
Grammar: Used in official procedures for complaints about services or conduct.
Patterns
- a complainant to someone
The airline wrote to the complainant offering a refund.
The ombudsman interviewed the complainant before reviewing the file.
Word forms
| plural | complainants |
|---|
Common combinations
- the complainant alleged
- The complainant alleged that the contract had been broken.
- identify the complainant
- The report did not identify the complainant by name.
- complainant and respondent
- Both the complainant and the respondent submitted evidence.
- a named complainant
- A named complainant is required for the case to proceed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- plaintiff
- Plaintiff is the person who sues in a civil court, whereas complainant is wider and also used in criminal and administrative settings.
- claimant
- Claimant is used for someone seeking money or a right, such as benefits or damages, rather than reporting wrongdoing.
- petitioner
- Petitioner asks a court or authority for a ruling or favor and need not accuse anyone.
Opposites
Word family
- complain verb
- to say you are unhappy about something
- complaint noun
- a statement that something is wrong or unsatisfactory
- complaining adjective
- expressing dissatisfaction
Commonly confused: complainant or complainer?
complainant vs complainer
A complainer grumbles about things all the time and the word is critical, while a complainant is a neutral legal term for someone making a formal complaint.
Practice
In the hearing, the ___ described how the shop had refused to repair the faulty heater.
Choose one answer.
The complainant is the person who made the formal complaint; a defendant is the one accused, and a judge would not describe a personal grievance.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “complainant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.