incumbent.

1. Currently holding a specified position or office.

2. Required as a duty or responsibility of the relevant person or body.

3. The person or body currently holding a position or office.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• incumbent officeholder
• incumbent administration

On the page

The incumbent officeholder defended the decisions made during the current term.

The incumbent administration remained responsible until the formal transfer occurred.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Normally non-gradable for a specified formal status; compare degree only where the context genuinely concerns a gradable capacity or characteristic. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: status distinction, institutional analysis, scope qualification, rights analysis. Disciplines: formal writing, institutional procedures, legal-administrative language. Commonness: moderately common.