Meaning & use
interrogator
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Meanings
nouncountable
Someone whose job or role is to question a person hard and formally, often to extract information.
Grammar: Usually refers to police, military or intelligence staff: a skilled interrogator.
Patterns
- an interrogator of someone
- the interrogator asked someone something
The interrogator slid a photograph across the table and waited.
A trained interrogator knows when to stay silent.
The prisoner later said his interrogators never raised their voices.
nouncountablefigurativehumorous
A person who asks someone a rapid series of probing questions, especially in a way that feels hostile.
Grammar: Figurative and often humorous: my little sister, the family interrogator.
Patterns
- act as an interrogator
My aunt is a relentless interrogator at family gatherings.
The talk-show host turned into a fierce interrogator when the senator dodged.
Ask my grandmother about my plans and you meet the interrogator.
Word forms
| plural | interrogators |
|---|
Common combinations
- skilled interrogator
- She became a skilled interrogator after years with the force.
- chief interrogator
- The chief interrogator reported directly to the commander.
- face an interrogator
- He had to face an interrogator for the first time that night.
- military interrogator
- A military interrogator spoke to the captured pilot.
- tough interrogator
- The tough interrogator never let the suspect rest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- questioner
- Questioner is a general word for anyone asking questions and carries no sense of authority or pressure.
- inquisitor
- Inquisitor suggests harsh, almost cruel questioning and has historical overtones that interrogator lacks.
- examiner
- An examiner tests knowledge in a fair setting, while an interrogator seeks hidden information.
- interviewer
- An interviewer asks questions in a cooperative setting, so it is much milder than interrogator.
Opposites
Word family
- interrogate verb
- to question closely and formally
- interrogation noun
- a session of close questioning
- interrogative adjective
- relating to a question
- interrogatory noun
- a formal written question in a legal case
Commonly confused: interrogator or interrupter?
interrogator vs interrupter
An interrupter cuts into a conversation, while an interrogator asks questions in order to get information.
Practice
Which person is the interrogator in a police station scene?
Choose one answer.
An interrogator is the one doing the formal questioning; the others have roles that do not involve questioning the suspect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “interrogator”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.