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.

But there was no obvious candidate to replace him and many in the party decided to wait until local elections in May to see how poorly Labour fares.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Doncic, a leading candidate for most valuable player and a lock for his sixth All-NBA team, played in only 64 games before he suffered a regular-season ending left hamstring injury on April 2.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The valuation is incredibly cheap relative to the franchise—the stock trades at a single-digit earnings multiple—and Beacon itself would be a good acquisition candidate.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

The site is in the Ceredigion Penfro constituency where Morgan is Labour's lead candidate for the Senedd election on 7 May.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

I will not be a candidate, and I will not be chosen.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

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

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!