Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🙏 A person asking 🤲 Humbly asking 💻 A client device
supplicant

supplicant

1 8.5
Asking in a humble, serious way for help or forgiveness
  • adjective
  • /ˈsʌplɪkənt/
  • Formal
: suplicante
  • The supplicant student knelt before the teacher, earnestly asking for help with his studies.

Examples

  • With a supplicant attitude, she approached the panel, humbly requesting a scholarship.

  • It’s insane that the leaders of the government of Israel are as supplicant to the hostile U.S. government as they are.

    Blog text (27)

  • He made a supplicant gesture as he sought forgiveness for his mistakes.

Synonyms

pleading
vssupplicant
31 4.1

Asking for something in a strong, emotional way

is humbler and less emotionally forceful than an emotional appeal
imploring
vssupplicant
1 6.1

Asking for help in a strong, pleading way

is more patient and humble, not focused on urgent intensity
suppliant
vssupplicant
  • Formal
1 8.9

Asking for something in a humble, begging way

is the act of humble, earnest asking rather than the describer
supplicatory
vssupplicant
  • Formal
1 9.9

Asking for help in a humble, urgent way

is a humble plea focused on submission rather than ritual tone
precative
vssupplicant
9.9

To make a humble, urgent request, often like a prayer

is the humble personal plea behind such expressive language
adjuratory
vssupplicant
  • Formal
9.9

To ask people seriously and strongly to do or stop something

is more humble and submissive than a formal commanding request

Antonyms

arrogance
131 4.8

Being too proud and acting as if you are better than others

How Humble

beggar
60 1.0
supplicant
  • Formal
1 8.5
requester
  • UK
3 3.5
petitioner
  • Formal
20 6.1

Surface Forms

supplicant positive

Morphology

supplicant = supplicate (transparent) = supplicate + ant

Standard adjectival use derived from 'supplicate' + '-ant' meaning 'characterized by supplication'.

Etymology

Supplicant comes from Latin sub- 'under' and plicare 'to bend', giving the image of a humble, kneeling person. So a supplicant tone or look shows humble, earnest asking.