incumbents
incumbents — adjective
- incumbentspositive
- more incumbentscomparative
- most incumbentssuperlative
1. currently holding a particular official position, such as a political office or
currently holding a particular official position, such as a political office or the top role in an organization.
The incumbent mayor faced three challengers in the local election.
incumbent + noun (mayor) for a political role
Incumbent senators often enjoy an advantage when they run for re-election.
As the incumbent CEO, Esteban had access to all company records before the vote.
The incumbent government introduced several new policies during its first year.
- challenger
a person who competes against the incumbent for the position
- incoming
describes the person about to replace the incumbent
文法句型
incumbent + noun (the incumbent president/mayor/CEO)
用法筆記
This sense is used only before a noun — you cannot say 'the mayor is incumbent' by itself. The noun that follows must name a position or office.
常見錯誤
2. expected of a person as a moral or legal requirement that follows from their pos
expected of a person as a moral or legal requirement that follows from their position or role.
It is incumbent upon the judge to guarantee a fair trial for everyone.
it + be + incumbent + upon + noun + to-infinitive
Hannah felt it was incumbent on her to report the billing error she had discovered.
The new law makes it incumbent on factory owners to install safety equipment.
Amelia believes it is incumbent on all doctors to keep their medical knowledge current.
- obligatory
more formal and legal; 'incumbent' carries a moral weight
- binding
suggests a legal or contractual duty rather than a moral one
- necessary
broader and less formal; does not carry the sense of duty
- optional
something you may choose to do or not do
文法句型
it + be + incumbent + upon/on + noun/pronoun + to-infinitive
用法筆記
This sense almost always appears in the fixed pattern 'it is incumbent upon/on [someone] to [do something]'. The word 'it' is a dummy subject pointing to the 'to'-infinitive clause that follows.
常見錯誤
incumbents — noun
- incumbentssingular
- incumbentsesplural
1. people who currently hold official positions, especially elected or appointed ro
people who currently hold official positions, especially elected or appointed roles in government or business, and who are often seeking to keep those positions.
The incumbents in the race all won re-election by very comfortable margins.
the + incumbents for a specific group of officeholders
In many local elections, incumbents have a significant advantage over newcomers.
Challengers argued that the incumbents had grown too comfortable in their seats after decades.
The debate let voters compare the incumbents with the people seeking to replace them.
Three incumbents lost their seats to younger candidates running on a platform of change.
- officeholders
more neutral — an officeholder may be appointed; an incumbent is usually seeking to stay in the role
- sitting members
used specifically for legislatures or committees
- current holders
descriptive but not a fixed term
- challengers
people competing to replace the incumbents
- newcomers
people new to a position or election race
文法句型
the + incumbents
incumbents + plural verb
用法筆記
In political contexts, 'the incumbents' is often contrasted with 'the challengers' or 'the opposition'. The singular 'incumbent' is also common when referring to one person.