21
nominee(noun, person, job, choice, post)
19
applicant(noun, person, desire, job, seek)
16
aspirant(noun, person, desire, opposition, job)
14
competitor(noun, person, opposition, job, application)
12
hopeful(noun, adjective, person, informal, job)
12
seeker(noun, person, job, seek, runner)
11
prospect
11
suitor(noun, person, job, runner, hunter)
11
campaigner(noun, supplicant, requester)
11
claimant(noun, person, job, opponent, runner)
11
contestant(noun, person, opposition, job, application)
10
entrant(noun, person, opposition, job, application)
9
bidder(noun, person, match, opposition, job)
9
petitioner(noun, person, job, seek, entry)
8
entry(noun, person, effort)
8
office seeker
7
postulant(noun, dream, hunter, petitioner, contender)
5
dark horse(noun, expression, idiom, person, opposition)
5
runner(noun, person, job, competitor, participant)
5
amateur
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APASmart Define. (2015). candidate thesaurus. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/candidate/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "candidate thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/candidate/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, candidate thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/candidate/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "candidate thesaurus" 10 April 2015. Web. 20 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/candidate/thesaurus/synonyms>