candidate

[kan-di-deyt, -dit, kan-di-deyt] / ˈkæn dɪˌdeɪt, -dɪt, ˈkæn dɪˌdeɪt /

NOUN

person desiring political office, job

Synonyms

STRONGEST

applicant aspirant bidder competitor contender contestant nominee successor

STRONG

claimant entrant hopeful petitioner possibility pothunter runner seeker stumper suitor write-in

WEAK

dark horse favorite son handshaker job-hunter office seeker possible choice solicitant whistle-stopper

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We need to be assured with specific examples of how a candidate will work to fix America for us: income disparity, job availability, affordability of living and retirement planning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Given all the doubts around Adobe, it’s perhaps surprising that the company will likely go with an internal candidate to replace Narayen.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Both campaigns believe they can still win and, for now, neither candidate has claimed fraud.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

If Pratt does relocate, he’ll miss out on the chance to vote for his preferred candidate in the general.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

His mentor had spent years molding him into the strongest possible candidate for the Sons of the Six; now it was all wasted.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Vocabulary lists containing candidate

Election Lingo

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting

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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 2

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