applicant

applicant — noun

1. someone who has filled in the official paperwork to be given a job, a study plac

1.nounB2
Definition

someone who has filled in the official paperwork to be given a job, a study place, a visa, or some other thing that an organization decides whether to grant.

Example

Esme was the only applicant who could speak both Mandarin and Spanish fluently.

applicant + relative clause describing qualifications

The university received over 4,000 applicants for just 80 medical school places this year.

plural: applicants for + place/role

Common collocations
  • successful applicant
  • unsuccessful applicant
  • qualified applicant
  • prospective applicant
  • shortlist of applicants
  • applicant pool
Synonyms
  • candidate

    broader; used for jobs, exams, and elections, while applicant focuses on someone who submitted forms

  • petitioner

    legal register; someone formally asking a court or authority

  • claimant

    used when asking for money or rights, e.g. benefits or insurance

Antonyms
  • employer

    the party choosing among applicants for a job

  • recruiter

    the person reviewing and selecting applicants

Grammar Patterns

applicant for + noun

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'for' plus the thing being sought (a job, grant, visa, place). Common collocates: successful, suitable, unsuccessful, qualified, prospective. Rarely used outside formal or institutional contexts.

Common Mistakes

I am an applicant to this job.
I am an applicant for this job.
applicant takes the preposition 'for', never 'to'.
She is the applicant of the position.
She is the applicant for the position.
use 'for', not 'of'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name a person asking for something, but the situation differs sharply. An applicant has filled in forms or sent a written request to an organization — typically for a job, a school place, a loan, or a visa. A candidate is a wider word: every applicant for a job becomes a candidate once shortlisted, but the word also covers people standing in elections or sitting for exams, where no application form is involved. Petitioner is a legal-sounding word for someone who formally asks a court or authority for action, often in a divorce or appeal. Claimant is used mainly when the request is for money or a legal right — insurance claimants, benefit claimants. Compare: 'Three hundred applicants sent CVs; ten became candidates after the first interview; one claimant later sued the company for unfair rejection.'

applicant ↗candidate ↗petitionerclaimant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • job applicant
  • visa applicant
  • loan applicant
  • applicant pool
  • applicant tracking system

Phrases

  • successful applicant
  • unsuccessful applicant
  • qualified applicant
  • prospective applicant
  • shortlist of applicants
  • screen applicants

Prepositions

  • applicant for

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The verb 'apply' came into English in the late 1300s from Old French 'aplier' and Latin 'applicare', meaning 'to attach to' or 'to direct toward'. The noun form 'applicant' was built on this verb in the early 1500s using the Latin participle ending '-ant', which marks a person performing an action. So an applicant is, literally, 'one who applies' — someone who directs a request toward an organization or authority.