attendant

American  

[uh-ten-duhnt] / əˈtɛn dənt /

noun

1. a person who attends another, as to perform a service.

   Synonyms:

   servant, retainer, follower, comrade, companion, escort

2. Chiefly British. an usher or clerk.

3. a corollary or concomitant thing or quality.

   Synonyms:

   consequence, accompaniment

4. a person who is present, as at a meeting.

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adjective

1. being present or in attendance; accompanying.

2. consequent; concomitant; associated; related: poverty and its attendant hardships.

   winter holidays and attendant parties; war and its attendant evils;

   poverty and its attendant hardships.

attendant British  

/ əˈtɛndənt /

noun

1. a person who accompanies or waits upon another

2. a person employed to assist, guide, or provide a service for others, esp for the general public

   a lavatory attendant

3. a person who is present

4. a logical consequence or natural accompaniment

   hatred is often an attendant of jealousy

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adjective

1. being in attendance

2. associated; accompanying; related

   attendant problems

Other Word Forms

• attendantly adverb
• superattendant noun
• unattendant adjective

Etymology

Origin of attendant

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, present participle of attendre “to notice, await”; attend, -ant

Explanation

An attendant is someone present at a meeting or event. A flight attendant, for example, tends to the needs of passengers on a plane trip. The word attendant has to do with being present. An attendant on a flight is present to help you if you need anything. An attendant event is one that happens in the presence of another event. In other words, it can mean "accompanying." An illness can have attendant symptoms that go along with it. Remember that the word ends in -ant.

Example Sentences

But neither should passengers hesitate to approach a flight attendant about their comfort.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

As customers were being interviewed pumping gas Thursday, an attendant approached a Times reporter and asked them to leave, noting it was private property.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Flight attendant unions and advocacy groups for airline executives, recognizing the warning signs, have repeatedly begged the federal government to figure out a funding backstop for TSA salaries.

From Slate • Mar. 24, 2026

Per reports from several outlets, an attendant on the Air Canada flight survived being ejected from the plane during the crash.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

Before Dad could respond, the garage attendant knocked on the car window.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

Related Words

• aide
• assistant
• custodian
• helper
• nurse
• servant