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Meaning & use

mediator

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈmiːdieɪtə/
US/ˈmidieɪtɚ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A neutral person who helps people in a dispute talk and reach an agreement, without deciding the outcome for them.

    Grammar: Often followed by between: a mediator between the two sides.

    Patterns

    • a mediator between someone and someone
    • act as a mediator
    • a mediator in something

    A mediator helped the neighbors settle their fence dispute.

    She acted as a mediator between her two feuding friends.

    The union asked for an independent mediator.

  2. nouncountablebiologytechnical

    A substance or chemical that carries or triggers a biological effect, such as in the body's reaction to injury.

    Grammar: Technical sense in biology and medicine.

    Patterns

    • a mediator of something

    Histamine is a mediator of allergic reactions.

    Researchers studied chemical mediators of inflammation.

    The cell releases a mediator that tells nearby cells to respond.

Word forms

pluralmediators

Common combinations

neutral mediator
They hired a neutral mediator to avoid taking sides.
act as mediator
The teacher acted as mediator in the argument.
independent mediator
An independent mediator brokered the deal.
chief mediator
The chief mediator announced progress in the talks.

Synonyms and how they differ

arbitrator
An arbitrator hears both sides and then makes a binding decision, but a mediator only guides discussion.
go-between
A go-between passes messages between people and need not help solve the problem.
peacemaker
Peacemaker stresses the wish to end conflict and may not be a formal or neutral role.

Opposites

instigatorantagonist

Word family

mediate verb
to help settle a dispute
mediation noun
the process of settling a dispute through a neutral person
immediate adjective
not mediated or happening at once (different meaning)

Commonly confused: mediator or arbitrator? mediator or meditator?

mediator vs arbitrator

An arbitrator can impose a decision, while a mediator cannot.

mediator vs meditator

A meditator is someone who meditates, which is unrelated to settling disputes.

Practice

The two companies could not agree on terms, so they asked a ___ to help them reach a compromise without going to court.

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