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 the candidate was not the main speaker.

From Slate • May 19, 2026

Zapatero had campaigned in favour of the party's candidate there, Sanchez's former deputy and ex-finance minister Maria Jesus Montero.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

He billed the Makerfield by-election as "Labour versus Reform", adding the candidate will be known "very shortly" and "whoever they are I am going to support them 100%".

From BBC • May 18, 2026

This is a candidate who, after all, already has a Hulu development deal in the works documenting life after the Palisades fires.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

He particularly didn't like it when the candidate was only interested in his own personal advancement or just wanted to get out of Germany.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Vocabulary lists containing candidate

Election Lingo

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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting

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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 2

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