What does it mean if something is incumbent?
Mia Phillips
Updated on March 27, 2026
(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : the holder of an office or ecclesiastical benefice. 2 : one that occupies a particular position or place.
How do you use the word incumbent?
Incumbent in a Sentence ?
- The incumbent store manager is not happy about having to train the person who is taking his job.
- The incumbent president of the company is resigning from office so a younger person can take control of the business.
What does incumbent mean on a job description?
What Is an Incumbent? The term incumbent refers to an individual who currently holds a set of responsibilities within a specific office as part of a corporation or within a branch of the government. As the incumbent, this person has an obligation to the position or office they hold.
What does the time incumbent mean?
(referring to the present time) a person who has a particular office or position, esp. an elected one: Senator Smith, the incumbent, faces a tough fight for reelection next year. incumbent.
Whats the opposite of incumbent?
incumbent. Antonyms: optional, discretional. Synonyms: pressing, binding, coercive, indispensable, urgent, devolvent, obligatory.
What does sophistication mean in English?
1a : the use of sophistry : sophistic reasoning. b : sophism, quibble. 2 : the process or result of becoming cultured, knowledgeable, or disillusioned especially : cultivation, urbanity. 3 : the process or result of becoming more complex, developed, or subtle.
How do you use the word incumbent in a sentence?
: necessary as a duty for (someone) It is incumbent on us to help. It is incumbent upon all employees to participate.
What is an example of an incumbent?
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. For example, in an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-election or not.
Where does the word’incumbent’come from in politics?
Incumbent 1 Etymology. The word “incumbent” is derived from the Latin verb incumbere, literally meaning “to lean or lay upon” with the present participle stem incumbent-, “leaning a variant of encumber, while 2 Incumbency advantage. In general, an incumbent has a political advantage over challengers at elections. 3 Anti-incumbency. …
What’s the difference between an incumbent and an office holder?
incumbent – the official who holds an office. officeholder. holder – a person who holds something; “they held two hostages”; “he holds the trophy”; “she holds a United States passport”. office-bearer – the person who holds an office.
What are the advantages of being an incumbent?
Incumbency advantage. For most political offices, the incumbent often has more name recognition due to their previous work in the office. Incumbents also have easier access to campaign finance, as well as government resources (such as the franking privilege) that can be indirectly used to boost a campaign.
Is there a term limit for an incumbent?
Furthermore, there are no term limits and parties are obliged to nominate incumbents desiring re-election regardless of their conduct in office. These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web.