intermediary
Americannoun
-
intermediaries
plural
-
an intermediate agent or agency; a go-between or mediator.
- Synonyms:
- umpire, arbitrator
-
a medium or means.
-
an intermediate form or stage.
adjective
-
being between; intermediate.
-
acting between persons, parties, etc.; serving as an intermediate agent or agency.
an intermediary power.
noun
-
a person who acts as a mediator or agent between parties
-
something that acts as a medium or means
-
an intermediate state or period
adjective
-
acting as an intermediary
-
situated, acting, or coming between; intermediate
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of intermediary
1785–95; < Late Latin intermedi ( um ) intervening place + -ary; see intermediate 1
Explanation
An intermediary is someone who acts as a go-between or a mediator between two other people. Be careful when you're the intermediary between two friends who are fighting, because they might both end up mad at you! The word intermediary comes from the Latin intermedius, which is also the root word for intermediate. Inter- means between, and medius means the middle — intermediary retains that sense of being in the middle. Intermediaries are used to negotiate between two countries who are at odds, between a company and a client over a contract, between two bickering children, or between a boss and an employee in salary negotiations.
Vocabulary lists containing intermediary
Animal Farm
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Economics
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Several Albanian media outlets claim he acted as an intermediary between the prime minister and organised criminal groups.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Vincer told the Journal he served as an intermediary for Nxum’s deal with Tether.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Connecting clippers with their prospective clients are a number of intermediary websites, where available video jobs are listed.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
In other cases, he said, Navatek’s lobbyists would relay a request from an intermediary for a specific dollar amount.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
He or she should be in another room entirely, answering questions by e-mail or through the use of an intermediary.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
The talks are expected to focus on "messages exchanged with the United States through intermediaries... particularly regarding the conditions set by Iran for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz".
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Israel has been providing Saudi Arabia with intelligence to help thwart further attacks, using American military intermediaries, according to Israeli media reports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
"We are hopeful that the government will be addressing this in its latest interactions with social media intermediaries and direct them accordingly," she added.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
AI companies, cloud providers and other intermediaries have powerful incentives to reduce the cost and complexity of adoption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
When he needed anything he used Kochu Maria or Baby Kochamma as intermediaries.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
