mediator

American  

[mee-dee-ey-ter] / ˈmi diˌeɪ tər /

noun

1. a person who mediates, especially between parties at variance.

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Usage

What does mediator mean? A mediator is a person who mediates—helps to settle a dispute or create agreement when there is conflict between two or more people or groups by acting as an intermediary or go-between for those parties. The act or process of mediating is called mediation. Mediation always involves a mediator acting as an impartial third party to guide the communication between the conflicting parties. Sometimes, mediation happens in an informal way. You might act as a mediator for two friends by mediating their argument. But the word is perhaps most commonly used in more specific ways in formal situations, such as when a mediator mediates a labor dispute between a company and its striking employees or when a mediator mediates a divorce for two spouses. When mediation occurs in an official or legal context, such as when it has been ordered by a judge, it is often called arbitration and is performed by an arbitrator. Arbitration usually involves a decision that the parties are bound by. Mediation is typically less formal and usually involves suggestions for settling differences, as opposed to binding decisions. Example: I know you two have your differences, so I’d like to act as a mediator while you talk it out and try to come to an understanding.

Other Word Forms

• mediatorship noun
• undermediator noun

Etymology

Origin of mediator

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Anglo-French mediatur, Old French mediatour, from Latin mediātor “go-between, intermediary”; mediate, -tor

Explanation

A mediator is a person who helps negotiate between two feuding parties. When a married couple is considering getting divorced, they sometimes hire a mediator to help them come to an agreement, and possibly even avoid divorce. The word mediator goes back to the Latin word medius, which means middle. A mediator is supposed to remain in the neutral middle rather than taking one side over another, in order to help both sides resolve a dispute. Mediators negotiate between employers and employees, disputing couples, and in schools helping kids work out their conflicts peacefully rather than fighting on the playground or lunchroom.

Example Sentences

"Pakistan very much wants to ride the momentum that it has been enjoying over the last few weeks as a critical mediator," Michael Kugelman, senior South Asia fellow at the Atlantic Council, told AFP.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Iran's approach has also imposed limitations, especially in its insistence that the negotiations mainly be conducted indirectly, through Oman, their trusted mediator.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Pakistan's value as a mediator rests on an unusually broad diplomatic network.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Its ambassador to Pakistan also reportedly said efforts by the mediator country were reaching a “critical sensitive stage.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Whereas at school the primary mediator was Christ, at home that role was assumed by the Mexican Virgin, Nuestra Seriora de Guadalupe, the focus of devotion and pride for Mexican Catholics.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Related Words

• advocate
• arbiter
• arbitrator
• broker
• go-between
• intermediary
• judge
• negotiator
• peacemaker
• referee
• troubleshooter