CANDIDATE Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

candidate

noun

ˈkan-də-ˌdāt

Definition of candidate

as in applicant

one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award each candidate for town council was allowed to speak at the candidates' forum

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of candidate If no candidate wins more than half of valid votes on Sunday, the two with the most votes advance to an October 25 runoff. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026 The presidential candidates who came in third, fourth, and fifth place are all right-wing, suggesting that Bolsonaro could have a natural pool of voters to draw from in the runoff. — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026 Something is missing in Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Fazio’s biography, Democrats say. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026 Ten other candidates are expected to garner much smaller numbers of votes on Sunday. — ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for candidate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for candidate

Noun

And for the first time, applicants for permanent residency will be evaluated based on their Japanese language skills as well as their grasp of rules and customs.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026
Tokyo Enmusubi applicants must complete an online interview, on top of photo identification, proof of income and single status.

— Matthew Tan, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of applicant

Noun

These five rising, behind-the-scenes maestros have worked on major hits for such likely 2027 contenders as Noah Kahan, Ariana Grande and Rosalía — and could be first-time nominees in the category.

— Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026
Boehringer has pitched the medicine as a way to help patients lose fat while preserving muscle, but without an edge, the drug becomes just one more contender in an increasingly crowded market dominated by Eli Lilly and Novo.

— Ed Silverman, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026