participant vs player

participant and player both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
participant	Yes	No	No	No
player	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, participant and player are synonyms defined as:

As nouns, participant and player are synonyms defined as:

participant and player: a person who participates in or is skilled at some game

participant (noun)	player (noun)
someone who takes part in an activity	a theatrical performer
a person who participates in or is skilled at some game	a person who participates in or is skilled at some game
	someone who plays a music as a profession
	a person who pursues a number of different social and sexual partners simultaneously
	someone who takes part in an activity