candidate
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candidate¹
- /ˈkæn.dɪ.dət/ UK
- /ˈkæn.dɪ.deɪt/ UK
- /ˈkandɪdət/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈkæn.dɪ.dɪt/ Canada, US
- [ˈkɛən.dɪ.dɪt] Canada, US
- /ˈkæn.ɪ.dɪt/ US, colloquial
- /ˈkæn.ɪ.deɪt/ US, colloquial
- /ˈkæn.də.dət/ Australia
- /ˈkandɪdɛjt/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈkæn.dɪ.deɪt/ Canada, US
- [ˈkɛən.dɪ.deɪt] Canada, US
- /ˈkæn.dɪ.dæɪt/ Australia
Where it comes from
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).
noun candidates
- 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.
- A person who is thought likely or worthy to gain a position or privilege.
- A participant in an examination. Candidates must remain silent for the entirety of the exam.
- 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.
- A student taking a degree who has finished the coursework but has other remaining requirements such as a dissertation. a Ph.D. candidate
- The recipient of certain academic degrees, now mainly awarded in Scandinavia.
- A gene which may play a role in a given disease.
verb candidates · candidating · candidated
- To stand as a candidate for an office, typically for a religious one. The matter of candidating for a pulpit is not a matter of difference between congregations and Rabbis, but between Rabbis themselves.
- To make or name (something) as a candidate (to be chosen or deemed suitable for a purpose). Performance comparison of solar energy conversion candidated for SPS. (From NASA, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston 1977.)
candidate²
- /ˈkæn.dɪ.deɪt/ UK
- /ˈkandɪdɛjt/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈkæn.dɪ.deɪt/ Canada, US
- [ˈkɛən.dɪ.deɪt] Canada, US
- /ˈkæn.dɪ.dæɪt/ Australia
Where it comes from
From Latin candidātus (“dressed in white”, adjective); see Etymology 1 for further derivations. By surface analysis, candid + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
verb candidates · candidating · candidated
- To make white; to whitewash.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: nominee, campaigner, prospect, candidacy, candidature, election, membership, appointment, appointee, trainee, nomination, appellant, proponent, nominated, applicant, eligible
Translations
Every language
noun person running in an election
| Español | candidato, candidata |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 후보자 huboja, 후보 hubo |
| 日本語 | 候補者 kōhosha, 候補 kōho |
| 中文 | 候選人 /候选人 hòuxuǎnrén, 候補 /候补 hòubǔ |
| हिन्दी | प्रत्याशी pratyāśī, उम्मीदवार ummīdvār |
| Português | candidato, candidata |
| Français | candidat, candidate |
| Deutsch | Kandidat, Kandidatin, Wahlbewerber, Wahlbewerberin |
| Italiano | candidato, candidata |
| Ελληνικά | υποψήφιος ypopsífios, υποψήφια ypopsífia |
| Română | candidat, candidată |
| Русский | кандида́т kandidát, кандида́тка kandidátka |
| Tiếng Việt | ứng cử viên |
| العربية | مُرَشَّح muraššaḥ, مُرَشَّحَة muraššaḥa |
| עברית | מועמד \ מָעֳמָד mo'omád, מועמדת mo'omédet |
noun person who is applying for a job
| हिन्दी | प्रत्याशी pratyāśī, अभ्यर्थी abhyarthī |
|---|---|
| Français | candidat |
| Deutsch | Kandidat, Kandidatin |
noun participant in an examination
| Español | candidato, candidata, participante |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 수험생 suheomsaeng |
| 日本語 | 受験生 jukensei |
| हिन्दी | अभ्यर्थी abhyarthī |
| Português | candidato, candidata |
| Deutsch | Prüfungskandidat, Prüfungskandidatin |
| Italiano | candidato, candidata |
| Română | candidat, candidată |
verb to stand as a candidate for an office
| Français | candidater |
|---|
verb to make or name (something) a candidate
| Italiano | candidare |
|---|
Talk about this word "candidate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/candidate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. candidate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/candidate "candidate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/candidate.Cite this
@misc{candidate_2026,
title = {candidate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/candidate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
