respondent

[ ri-spon-duhnt ]

noun

1. a person who responds or makes reply.
2. Law. a defendant, especially in appellate and divorce proceedings.

adjective

1. giving a response; answering; responsive.
2. Law. being a respondent.
3. Psychology. of or relating to behavior that occurs consistently in response to a particular stimulus.
4. Obsolete. corresponding.

respondent

/ rɪˈspɒndənt /

noun

1. law a person against whom a petition, esp in a divorce suit, or appeal is brought

adjective

1. a less common word for responsive

Word History and Origins

Origin of respondent¹

1520–30; < Latin respondent- (stem of respondēns ), present participle of respondēre. See respond, -ent

Example Sentences

Earlier studies on mothers' breastfeeding habits yielded samples of a majority of White, non-Hispanic, well-educated, partnered, and employed respondents.

From Science Daily

They found that the new footpaths encouraged 9% to 27% of the surveyed respondents to walk instead of using motorized transport, which led to a reduction in greenhouse gases and particulate matter.

From BBC

The 100 survey respondents spanned a range of specialties, including behavioral ecologists, evolutionary biologists, neuroscientists, biological anthropologists, cognitive psychologists and biological psychologists.

From Science Daily

In a preliminary survey by the researchers, 99% of respondents reported they used texting abbreviations, and 84% of them didn't believe that others wouldn't like abbreviations.

From Science Daily

Abuse and intimidation can have a significant impact on candidates’ campaign activity, the report added, with 66% of female respondents saying they avoided campaigning alone due to a fear of abuse.

From BBC

Related Words

• defendant
• prisoner