mediated

American  

[mee-dee-ey-tid] / ˈmi diˌeɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. (of disputes, strikes, etc.) settled or resolved with the help of an intermediary.

   In the 15 years in which he has served as a mediator, he has settled over 90% of his mediated disputes.

2. (of an agreement, truce, settlement, etc.) brought about with the help of an intermediary between parties.

   A mediated divorce is much cheaper than negotiating through lawyers or going to court.

3. indirectly experienced, effected, or conveyed; happening by means of or through someone or something else.

   I see technology as any mediated form of communication, rather than face-to-face communication.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of mediate.

Other Word Forms

• unmediated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of mediated

mediate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

When you argue with your friend and your disagreement is mediated, that means a neutral person has stepped in to help the two of you negotiate or come to an agreement. Two kids fighting on a playground might need their dispute to be mediated by a calm grownup. Unfortunately, many of the fights that need to be mediated are between leaders of countries or feuding groups of fully grown adults. The Latin root of mediated is medius, or "middle," which makes a lot of sense when you imagine a referee standing in the middle of two angry soccer teams.

Example Sentences

Mediated talks between the US and Iran were due to continue next week, with mediator Oman claiming on Friday a breakthrough was within reach with Iran offering no stockpiling of nuclear material.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

Mediated by Oman, the recently resumed discussions are aimed at averting the possibility of US military action, with Tehran expressing cautious optimism at Washington's "more realistic" position on its nuclear programme.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

In “Some Notes on Mediated Time,” she broods at length on the destabilizing effects of the internet, social media and the algorithm silos that shape our present.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2025

Mediated negotiations began four years ago after the Hanford regulator that oversees tank waste, the Department of Ecology, proposed the talks, said it was clear DOE could not meet its legal environmental cleanup deadlines.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 30, 2024

Mediated and segmented experiences and vague commitments, which evolve into a frame of vague morality, dominate family life today.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai

Related Words

• studied
• treated