What does "candidate" mean?
A person who seeks to be elected or appointed to a position or privilege.
Candidate
/ˈkæn.dɪ.deɪt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who seeks to be elected or appointed to a position or privilege.
- Grammar: candidate is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: nominee, prospect, addict, agent.
- Useful contrasts: adjudicator, certain, definite.
- Usage evidence: Strange to say, no one voted for the candidate.
How to use "candidate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "candidate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "candidate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "candidate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "candidate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "candidate" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "nominee" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "candidate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who seeks to be elected or appointed to a position or privilege.
"Smith announced he was the party's candidate for the next election."
- 2 a politician who is running for public office wordnet
- 3 A person who is thought likely or worthy to gain a position or privilege. figuratively
- 4 someone who is considered for something (for an office or prize or honor etc.) wordnet
- 5 A participant in an examination.
"Candidates must remain silent for the entirety of the exam."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Someone or something likely or suited to undergo or be chosen for a purpose.
"After being presented with various suitors, she decided none of the candidates were the kind of man she was looking for."
- 7 A student taking a degree who has finished the coursework but has other remaining requirements such as a dissertation.
"a Ph.D. candidate"
- 8 The recipient of certain academic degrees, now mainly awarded in Scandinavia.
- 9 A gene which may play a role in a given disease.
Verb
- 1 To stand as a candidate for an office, typically for a religious one. uncommon
"The matter of candidating for a pulpit is not a matter of difference between congregations and Rabbis, but between Rabbis themselves."
- 2 To make white; to whitewash. figuratively, obsolete, rare, transitive, uncommon
- 3 To make or name (something) as a candidate (to be chosen or deemed suitable for a purpose). nonstandard, uncommon
"Performance comparison of solar energy conversion candidated for SPS. (From NASA, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston 1977.)"
Antonyms
Example
"Strange to say, no one voted for the candidate."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "candidate"?
Common synonyms include: nominee, prospect, addict, agent, also ran, also-ran.
How do you use "candidate" in a sentence?
Strange to say, no one voted for the candidate.
How do you pronounce "candidate"?
Pronounced /ˈkæn.dɪ.deɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Latin candidātus (“a person who is standing for public office”, noun), from candidus (“dazzling white, shining, clear”) + -ātus, -āta, -ātum (participial adjective-forming suffix), in reference to Roman candidates wearing bleached white togas as a symbol of purity at a public forum. By surface analysis, candid + -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Etymology 2
From Latin candidātus (“dressed in white”, adjective); see Etymology 1 for further derivations. By surface analysis, candid + -ate (verb-forming suffix).