What does trier mean?
Trier is a somewhat uncommon noun for a person who makes an attempt, often with the added suggestion that the person keeps trying without fully succeeding. In contemporary English, it can sound encouraging when used of someone diligent or determined, but it is more often mildly patronizing or dismissive, as in the stereotype of the persistent but unsuccessful trier. The word also has an older judicial sense: a person under trial, especially a prisoner. That sense survives chiefly in historical and legal contexts; modern speakers usually say defendant or accused for someone facing court proceedings. Trier belongs to the same English word family as try and trial, though it functions specifically as a name for the person who tries rather than for the act itself. Because its implications depend heavily on context and tone, trier is less useful as a neutral label than the plain noun person who tries. It remains valuable when the intended point is repeated effort, frustration, or the difference between attempting something and achieving it.
A person who tries or attempts something, especially one who repeatedly struggles to succeed.
"Each team needs at least one trier willing to attempt the difficult problems."
Often implies unsuccessful persistence and may sound patronizing or dismissive depending on context.
A person under trial, especially a prisoner.
"The record identifies the man as a trier who had been held pending trial."
This is chiefly a historical or legal use; defendant and accused are the usual modern terms.
The ordinary plural of the countable noun; it is not the third-person singular form of the verb try.
"Several triers entered the competition, each hoping to make it through the first round."
Trier once meant someone on trial; today it often carries the sting of someone who keeps trying without quite succeeding.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trier come from?
The English noun derives from Middle English trier, meaning “one who tries,” and was formed from Anglo-French trier, “to try or attempt,” ultimately reflecting Medieval Latin triare. The same root underlies English try and trial, as well as the modern formations retry and retrial. Its older legal sense refers to a person who is put on trial, especially a prisoner.
How trier is actually used
The word is relatively uncommon and often sounds mildly patronizing or dismissive, implying repeated but unsuccessful effort. Its older judicial sense is chiefly historical; a person currently facing trial would normally be called a defendant or the accused.