Meaning & use
facilitator
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who guides a meeting, workshop or group activity so that everyone can take part and the group reaches its goal.
Grammar: Often followed by for or of: facilitator for the workshop.
Patterns
- a facilitator for something
- a facilitator of something
The facilitator asked each team to share one idea before the discussion began.
A trained facilitator kept the heated meeting calm and on track.
She works as a facilitator for community planning sessions.
nouncountableformal
A person, thing or factor that makes a process, result or action easier or more likely.
Grammar: Often used with of: a facilitator of change.
Patterns
- a facilitator of something
The new software acted as a facilitator of faster decisions.
Good roads are a facilitator of trade.
The enzyme works as a facilitator of the reaction.
Word forms
| plural | facilitators |
|---|
Common combinations
- workshop facilitator
- The workshop facilitator handed out sticky notes to everyone.
- act as a facilitator
- The teacher acted as a facilitator rather than a lecturer.
- neutral facilitator
- They hired a neutral facilitator to guide the talks.
- trained facilitator
- A trained facilitator can spot who has not spoken yet.
- facilitator of learning
- Good teachers are seen as facilitators of learning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- moderator
- A moderator keeps a debate orderly and fair, while a facilitator more actively helps a group work toward a result.
- coordinator
- A coordinator organizes tasks and people, but a facilitator guides the discussion itself.
- leader
- A leader usually decides the direction, whereas a facilitator tries to stay neutral and let the group decide.
- mediator
- A mediator helps two sides settle a dispute, which is narrower than the general group support a facilitator gives.
Opposites
Word family
- facilitate verb
- to make something easier
- facilitation noun
- the act of making something easier or guiding a group
- facility noun
- ease, or a place or equipment for an activity
- facile adjective
- too easy or superficial
Commonly confused: facilitator or facility?
facilitator vs facility
A facility is a place, a piece of equipment or a natural ease; a facilitator is a person who helps a group.
Practice
At the workshop, the ___ made sure that quieter people also had a chance to speak.
Choose one answer.
A facilitator guides a group so everyone participates. A spectator watches, a competitor competes and an inspector checks.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “facilitator”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.