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complainant

/kəmˈpleɪnənt/
/kəmˈpleɪnənt/
IPA guide

Other forms: complainants

In law, the person who accuses someone else of wrongdoing is sometimes called the complainant. You are the complainant if you sue your neighbor for building a chicken coop on your property.

Although there are some technical differences in the way legal experts use the terms, a complainant is essentially the same as a plaintiff. They're both ways to refer to an accuser, or someone bringing an official grievance against someone else. Since the 15th century, complainant has been used to mean "one who makes a formal complaint in court, " from complain.

Definitions of complainant
  1. noun
    a person who brings an action in a court of law
    synonyms: plaintiff
    see moresee less
    types:
    petitioner, suer
    someone who petitions a court for redress of a grievance or recovery of a right
    type of:
    litigant, litigator
    (law) a party to a lawsuit; someone involved in litigation
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