n. 1
One who attends; one who works with or watches over someone or something.
Give your keys to the parking attendants and they will park your car for you.
n. 2
A servant or valet.
adj. 1
Going with; associated; concomitant.
They promoted him to supervisor, with all the attendant responsibilities and privileges.

Related words

Phrases: flight attendant pump attendant school crossing attendant parking attendant meter attendant cabin attendant

Forms

Plural: attendants → assistants, escorts, fellows, companions…

Choose the right word

Attendant or Assistant?

A surgeon's assistant is a physician or medical student who shares in the treatment and care of patients; a surgeon's attendant is one who rolls bandages and the like.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

assistant Tom's assistant came in and handed Mary a message.
escort We saw Tom getting in a limo with two escort girls.
adjuvant The adjuvant participates in the development of the event.
servant A small regent is worth more than a large servant.
retinue He grew up in the retinue of the king.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
attendant		steady
assistant		falling
escort		rising
adjuvant		rising
servant		rising
retinue		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

6 letters: fellow², shadow², tender², escort², keeper², squire¹, lackey², menial³, meeter
7 letters: present², servant², adjunct², retinue³, sequent², ensuant
8 letters: follower³, attendee³, adjuvant, attender
9 letters: assistant³, associate⁴, satellite³, attending³, companion³, colleague², auxiliary⁴, accessory⁴, ancillary⁴, resultant³, appendage³, underling³
10 letters: subsequent³, collateral⁴, concurrent³, incidental⁴, consequent³, sequacious
11 letters: subordinate⁴, concomitant⁴
12 letters: accompanying⁵
13 letters: accompaniment⁴

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (fellow² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: préposé
Deutsch: Beauftragter